Nixie the Dragon: Season 6b
by C-Alrich
Summary: What happens when, after everything else they've faced in the past, the packs worst enemy yet turns out to be the very people they've been striving to save and protect all this time? How do you save Beacon Hills, when Beacon Hills itself seems to have turned against you? Rated M for my paranoia, language, and suggestive scenarios. And as always, pairing JordanxOC. Enjoy!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I maker her do or say."

Hi Guys! I'm back!

Finally, right? This half of season 6 is taking a long time for me to write, and I apologize for that. But life happens, you know.

Before you get to the story, I just feel the need to grant a heads up. I am still not finished writing for 6b. But I feel kind of bad for making people wait so long to read this, when all my other stories, after maybe a month, I was able to post rather rapidly. So, here's what I'm doing. I usually post the stories once they're completely finished. Not the case this time. I have the first four chapters complete at this point, working on the others as we speak. But I'm going to go ahead and start posting what I do have anyways. Be warned, if I go back later and decide something needs to change, I will go back and alter previous chapters.

Okay, I think that's all. You guys know my writing style by now, so I don't feel the need to warn you about anything else. Enjoy! :)

* * *

Chapter 1: Episode 6x11

"Okay, wait… Liam, slow down." Sitting up in bed, Nixie runs a hand across her face before asking, "So… how many wolves are just… dead in the woods?" Liam glances at Scott, but he hasn't even begun reaching a total on how many dead wolves were lying scattered across the floor of the woods past the lacrosse field. Shaking his head, Liam says, "We don't know. But… Nixie, it's a lot."

Nixie ponders that a moment, and then asks, "Do you guys need me to come there?" Liam immediately says, "Yes!" But then Nixie hears a scuffle of the phone changing hands, and then Scott's voice says, "No, Nixie. It's… well, it's a little weird. I'll give it that. But they're not werewolves. I don't think it's necessarily supernatural. They're just regular wolves."

Glancing around at all of the dead animals, he says, "A lot of dead regular wolves. But I don't see a supernatural cause right off." But Nixie can hear Liam shout from nearby, "Hundreds of spiders started shooting out of their eyes and mouths! You don't think that's supernatural!" Scott sighs, and then says, "Nixie, it's weird. But there is actually a medical breakout that could've caused it in the animals. So…"

Nixie nods, and then says, "Look, if you don't think you need me, that's fine. But if you want me to come, I will. Five minutes tops." "I know. But we're fine. If anything, I think Malia would be the one to call. She is, technically, the former animal." "Yeah, I can see that. Keep me posted, alright?" "You bet."

Hanging up the phone, Nixie is about to stand up and stretch, maybe get a glass of water before returning to bed. But that's when Jordan's arm snakes its way around her waist. Pulling her back onto the bed, he asks, "And where exactly would you have been running off to?" Nixie smiles over at him, and then says, "Sorry. I didn't mean to wake you." "Never mind that. And I'd prefer it if you did wake me before you go gallivanting off into the night." Nixie nods, and then hums when he kisses the side of her neck.

Chuckling against her skin, feeling her pulse quicken a bit, he says, "It's nearly midnight. Do you ever get tired of being so easily turned on?" "By you? Hell no." Jordan chuckles again, and then kisses right beneath her ear before asking, "What happened with the boys?" Nixie sighs, "There are apparently a lot of dead wolves in the woods right now. Not werewolves, just regular wolves. Liam is convinced it's something supernatural. But… I think Scott's pretty sure Liam is only stressing that point because he'd rather us not leave at all."

Jordan nods, and then asks, "Are you ready to leave tomorrow?" "Depends. I'm ready for college and to knock my GPA up into the stratosphere. I'm ready to start studying to be a nurse and help people. I'm ready to make sure my roommate isn't going to behave like a…" Jordan pinches her side, smirking when she laughs and grips at his hand to hopefully stop him from tickling her. Sighing, she says, "I'm ready for that." "But…"

Turning to look at him, Nixie says, "Not really ready to leave you." Jordan props himself up on his arm so he can look down at her. His free hand runs through some of her hair as he says, "You'll come back every other weekend. And I'll drive up when I can." "I know." "You'll be fine. We will be fine." Nixie nods, and then draws his hand down so she can kiss the inside of his wrist.

Though their honeymoon had technically been over after their week at the beach, Nixie hadn't really felt the end of it quite as profoundly as she was feeling it now. With it being summer and all, she only had her summer reading to fill her spare time when she wasn't with her friends, family, or Jordan. Well… and she was on the lookout for another supernatural disaster, but since that hadn't occurred yet, Nixie had a particular sense of still being on a sort of honeymoon. There were no monsters to chase. There was no one trying to kill her pack and family. And she was now married to the hottest man on the planet. Literally.

But now summer was ending. She would be moving into a dorm at college. Nixie had considered trying to live off campus. Given that she could fly at speeds that occasionally broke the sound barrier, it would not be any trouble to get to and from the school each day. But freshman were actually required to live on campus, for at least their first semester.

And it wasn't just about leaving Jordan behind in Beacon Hills. It was also about where everyone else was going. Scott was going to a college in California, which was comforting. He was the alpha, after all. But Stiles was already in Virginia for the FBI program, which was, as they'd discussed earlier in the summer, on the complete other side of the continent. And Lydia was going to Massachusetts for MIT, which was, again, an entire country of separation.

She wasn't sad that her best friends, practically her brother and sister, had been given these great opportunities. The fact that they had gotten these opportunities showed who they were, and why Nixie had chosen them from the start. But… well, Nixie's a blue dragon. Separations of a great distance would always be tricky for her.

She supposes she's lucky that her mate turned out to be a bit older than her. If they'd been the same age, in the same school, Jordan would've been joining the army at this point. And Nixie doesn't think the United States would be able to handle the multitude of rainstorms that would've followed that particular separation. But because Jordan was older, and already had a job he loved, in a town he didn't intend to leave… well, Nixie would never be so far away from him that she couldn't return at a moment's notice to be with him.

But she was leaving tomorrow. Which meant that tonight and tomorrow morning were really all the time they had left together. Well… for now at least.

With that in mind, Nixie grins and pulls his hand away from her lips and moves it to rest on the other side of her head. Jordan raises an eyebrow in amusement, "I say again, it's past midnight now." Nixie simply wraps an arm around his neck and draws him down for a kiss.

Her drive for making love with him had seemed to spike rather recently. Not that Jordan minded at all. It only concerned him slightly at all, because he thought it might be because of the blue dragon not wanting to leave him behind. But if this was the only consequence that was going to arise from Nixie's soon departure… well, Jordan can think of a million worse things to happen.

When she puts a hand on his shoulder, trying to push him onto his back, Jordan takes it in his hand and pins it beside her head. She whines into his mouth, but Jordan simply pulls back. Biting at her lower lip in admonishment, he says, "You were on top not even four hours ago." Nixie nods, preparing to retort, but is cut off as Jordan's other hand begins sliding down her body. Focusing at her chest for a while, he leans down to suck hard against the curve of her neck.

Her free hand grips his shoulder tight, fingers digging in. Panting breathlessly, she says, "You… spoil me… too much… when you… hmm…" After working a hickey onto her skin, Jordan trails his lips down to her chest. Grinning, he asks, "You don't like this?" "Shut up." "Now, that's not nice."

She hisses when he nibbles on her nipple, her hand on his shoulder moving to hold the back of his head. Whimpering, she says, "I like… trying to spoil you… too." Jordan's attention gentles a bit, and then he lifts his head enough to say, "This does spoil me, Mrs. Parrish."

Nixie can't help smiling as he calls her by their last name. He had done it at least once every day since they'd been married. And she thinks part of that is because she finally told him why she had no problem simply taking just his last name.

Jordan had thought, for a time, that she may want to keep the name 'Haven'. Certainly, it was the name she'd changed to because her mother had forced her too. But she'd chosen it for a reason, and it had become sort of trademark for her. She was everyone's safe-haven. No one felt safer anywhere else in the world, then when Nixie was standing beside them.

He'd offered to join their last names, hyphenating in between so they would become Mr. and Mrs. Haven-Parrish, or Parrish-Haven. Either would've worked for him. But Nixie had declined both, and for a time, he didn't understand why.

Finally, about three weeks after the wedding, he'd asked why she'd been so willing to suddenly drop a name that had become her moniker. She'd blinked at him in confusion at first, but then simply smiled. And her response was simply, _"Jordan… I love you. And I love your name. And I want that name to be mine. And… sure, I'm kind of a haven. But I don't need my name to be Haven in order to still be that."_

And then, as a smirk had formed on her face, she'd added, _"Besides… you do know what a parish is, right?"_ When Jordan had raised an eyebrow, she said, _"A parish is a sanctuary. It's a place people can go and feel welcome and protected, no matter who they are or where they've come from."_ Then she'd shrugged and said simply, _"A parish is a safe haven. So… my moniker remains the same. I'm just using a different name to describe it now. One that we both get to share."_

Now, as his lips travel down her skin, towards where she wants him most, Nixie trembles and asks, "How does this spoil you?" Chuckling against her hip, feeling her shift desperately beneath his touch, Jordan says, "Because I get to taste you like this. And you, my beautiful wife, are like all of my favorite deserts rolled into one."

He sucks at a hollow point over her left hip, and as she grips his head tighter, Jordan whispers deeply, "But if you've forgotten how much I enjoy this, then please, allow me to remind you."

Nixie has no words left to try and use to argue after that.

* * *

As Scott holds the electrifying baton up before his mother, Melissa sighs worriedly, "Eight-hundred-thousand volts sounds pretty dangerous." Scott doesn't argue that point, but this was more important that the pain he might be put in. He was leaving for college tonight, same as Nixie. He has to make sure his mom knows how to protect herself while he's gone. At the very least, he needs to know she can take care of herself long enough for him to get back in time to help.

With that in mind, he hands it over and says, "Just use it on me. I'll be okay, I promise. I can take it." Melissa looks at him like she doesn't believe that last statement in the slightest. But then she smiles when Nixie adds, "And if he can't, I'll take his pain."

Scott turns to glance at where she's sitting on one of the morgue examination tables. At his raised eyebrow, Nixie throws up her hands, "What? That's why I'm here!" "Really? I thought you were here for moral support." And Scott can't help laughing when Nixie says, "Moral support seeps out of me all the time, no matter where I am or why I'm there. I'm a living, breathing morale booster. So that part goes without saying." And before Scott can comment, Nixie grins and adds, "And yes, so does the sarcasm."

Scott just lets out a sighing laugh, and then turns back to his mom, who stands up so she can practice with the baton.

It obviously doesn't go as Scott would've liked it to. Melissa was not about to actually electrocute her son, even if he could take it. She cringed at the very idea, not at the fact that Scott was pretending to lunge at her like a predator. Sighing, Scott says, "Mom, you have to hold the button down."

Melissa gives him a look, and then holds up the baton to show that she is more than capable of operating it. Then she says, "I'm going to be fine, Scott. And if something happens, I'll call Liam." Scott still isn't satisfied; not that Nixie blames him. Liam was a wonderful beta, and he would take care of Melissa as best he could if something did happen. But Nixie nods in agreement with Scott's next question of, "What if he's not around?"

And yet again, Nixie can't argue with Melissa's follow up question of, "You think that this thing is gonna protect me? Scott, I'm a nurse. A stun baton is not my thing." Nixie raises an eyebrow at that, and then points to Scott in agreement again when he asks, "You have a thing?" Melissa simply says, "Sort of."

She pulls out one of the morgue drawers that's supposed to be empty. But inside, she has jars and vials filled with herbs, roots, and supernatural additives, kind of like Deaton had in his clinic. Nixie hops up off the table to join Scott as they look down at it. Melissa nods towards her collection, "If something does happen and people get hurt, I've got it covered."

Nixie smiles down at everything and says, "I like it." Scott gives her a look, and then asks his mom, "Where did you get all this from?" Melissa gives him a look, and then says, "Scott, you have orientation tomorrow. Classes to schedule. Cats and dogs to heal at UC Davis."

Nixie nods, and then jumps when Melissa points to her and says, "And that goes for you as well. Orientation. Classes. Dummies to practice putting IVs into. So both of you…" She shoves the drawer away, closing the door behind it. Then she turns back to them and says, "Worry about that."

Scott sighs, but smiles as his mom opens her arms so she can give him a hug. Of course, the next thing he knows, the baton in her hand accidentally goes off… against his back. Melissa gasps, and then says sorrowfully, "I held the button, didn't I?" Scott nods, and then narrows his eyes over at Nixie, who is about to fall down laughing. Upon meeting his gaze, she asks, "What?! That was funny! And don't even get me started. You wanted her to shock you in the first place. This is called karma." "For what, exactly?" "For not listening to me when I told you it was a stupid idea."

He rolls his eyes at her, but then smiles as he steps back, allowing Melissa to wrap Nixie in a hug as well. When she leans back, Melissa then says, "Besides, if worst comes to worst, I have the most important asset anyone could possibly have, set and ready to go." Scott tilts his head curiously, but then grins when Melissa pulls out her phone and presses the number one speed dial. Nixie's phone starts ringing five seconds later, and Nixie glances down at it, and then back at Melissa's phone.

And they both can't help laughing when Nixie says, "I don't see how that's such a great accomplishment. In fact, I think we should address the fact that I wasn't number one on your speed dial already. Scott, we should make it a rule. Anyone and everyone that's in this pack is required to have me as number one on speed dial. No exceptions. And what are earth are you laughing at? This is serious."

* * *

When Melissa gets called away to deal with multiple traumas, Scott wraps an arm around Nixie's shoulders. "Thanks for coming." She shrugs, "Like I'd be anywhere else." "I thought you might've wanted to be with Lydia right now. You know? Giving her mom the list of creatures and stuff?"

As Nixie's frown, Scott asks, "What's wrong?" Nixie sighs, "Nothing. I mean… it's not nothing. It's just, not anything you really need to worry about." But Scott gives her a look, so Nixie answers, "It's just… Natalie doesn't get it. She feels like now that we're all leaving, she doesn't have to deal with any of the supernatural stuff anymore. She feels like, since her daughter won't be here, it's not her problem."

Scott squeezes Nixie tighter, "But we know that's not true. We know things. And that gives us the responsibility to do something about it." Nixie smiles up at him, "I've trained you well."

He chuckles, and then Nixie says, "Anyways. I didn't want to deal with trying to argue with her right before we're about to leave. I'm not in the mood. Lydia understands." Scott nods, and then asks, "By the way, how are Liv and Veronica doing?" "Good. After they came back that second time to get to know me more, their flight landed safely back home. They're actually working on compiling a list of supernatural creatures on the East Coast for Stiles and me. It's pretty awesome."

Sighing, Scott says, "Yeah. Gosh, I can't believe there's so many of us. I mean… I always knew it couldn't be just us. But still… it's like the names never stop coming. And who knows what else there is out there that we still haven't had time to learn about." "Tell me about it. I'm still waiting on a mermaid to wash up on the beach any day now."

Scott laughs, and then they both glance up when they hear the commotion that is starting on the floors above them. Nixie smiles when she hears Jordan's voice, and then says, "I'm heading up to see Jordan. I'll meet you at your garage later. Sound good?" "Yeah."

He kisses her on the top of the head before he moves to exit out of one of the back entrances. Nixie hops in the elevator to take her up a floor.

What she finds when she gets there, is complete and total chaos. Not that the trauma wing of a hospital wasn't always filled with chaos. But… it somehow felt like it was worse tonight. Something in the air. Something she couldn't put her finger on. Something that was causing all the madness around them to seem so much worse than it might actually be. Something… frightening.

Nixie pushes past that feeling though. She was used to that fear by now. It was like she'd told Alison, just a couple of years ago. She was not fearless. She was frightened and terrified of a lot of things. All of which revolved around her friends and family being hurt and taken from her. That kind of fear was not new to Nixie. She felt it every time a new threat came into Beacon Hills.

Courage, and sheer force of will made it possible for her to think past that fear. And that's what she'd always done. And it's what she did now. She ignored the feeling that everyone else was allowing to overtake them. And with an assured step, she walked down the hall to try and find Jordan.

When she found him, he was standing in front of the elevators, staring down another long hall. Nixie's smile was brief, slipping down into a frown as she looked at him. He had to be able to feel her at this point. They could always feel each other when they walked into the room. Being complete opposites in the sense of their powers, it was as easy as breathing to tell when the other was approaching.

But Jordan didn't look at her. He wasn't moving at all, in fact. His eyes were trained down the hall, as though in a trance.

And the last time he'd had those, he'd been seeing Lydia and her in visions. Not exactly the worst case scenario… but it certainly didn't bode well for allowing them to all still leaving for college on time.

As for Jordan, he doesn't understand what it is he's seeing. The stranger he'd been following down the hall had vanished. And why he'd felt like following that stranger… Jordan didn't have a clue. But when he'd turned back around to face the hall again, it was covered in fire. At least… in his mind, it was covered in fire.

And the stranger he'd been following? He was in the center of the hall, supernatural eyes glowing and teeth slipping between his lips to show that he wasn't normal.

Jordan was still trying to understand what was going on, when he felt a chill sweep up his arm. And he supposes most people would shiver and maybe try to edge away from the sudden cold. But not Jordan. He let that feeling invade the space in his mind that was telling him the entire room was on fire, and it slowly begin vanishing.

Shaking his head after a moment to clear it, relieved when the hall looked normal again, he turns to see Nixie standing beside him. And the look of concern on her face tells him he'd been standing here, staring off into space, entirely too long. Not only had Nixie had time to find him… but she'd also had enough time to figure out that he was clearly seeing things again.

His response to the curious tilt of her head was to reach for the hand that was on his arm. Drawing it up, he places it against the side of his suddenly overheated neck and face. In fact, all of him suddenly felt too hot. And he was a hellhound, so that was saying something.

Sighing as Nixie let her chill sweep over him, he bends to kiss at her wrist before saying, "I'll tell you later. Promise. Right now, Melissa needs help maintaining order." Nixie nods instantly, but smiles and launches herself at him anyway. Wrapping him in a hug, she grins against his skin when he chuckles at her. His arms lock around her waist, and he sighs in relief against her before saying, "Thank you."

She kisses his cheek, and then says, "If you don't get to come home before we leave, Scott and I will swing by the station first. Or… just tell me where you are and we'll come meet you before we actually head out of town." He nods, and then kisses her forehead before saying, "Love you." "Love you too, babe."

Nixie watches him walk off down the hall after that, trying to help contain a few people that were arguing. Her eyes drifted up and down his frame from behind, and then she shook herself back to the present. It was getting a little ridiculous, how very often she found herself wanting to crawl back into bed with him. I mean, yes… she was married to him. They were mates. They could have each other any way they wanted, however often they wanted.

Still… Nixie thinks this is getting a little ridiculous. He walked into the room, and she was already thinking of ways to seduce him back into the bedroom… or to the couch… or…

Yeah, she needs to quit. Maybe being married and having sex for the first time somehow unlocks a great amount of lust in a dragon for the first few months. She might actually have to ask Deaton about that. Embarrassing as that conversation might be… it also might make her feel better.

She's contemplating going to see him now, since she and Scott will be leaving soon. That's when she hears Liam from up the hall muttering, "The sun, the moon, the truth… the sun, the moon, the truth…"

If the young beta was using his mantra, it couldn't be good. So Deaton would have to wait.

Nixie meets him half way up the hall. His claws are out, and his teeth are extended. Poor thing. He was trying so hard to keep it together. But his nose was also bleeding, which meant that someone had most definitely punched him in the face.

Liam's ability to calm down increased immediately when Nixie snarls and asks, "Who hit you? Where are they? And how painful do you want their death to be?" He manages a grin at her, before he slings himself inside the elevator. Hitting the button for the fourth floor, he continues with his mantra, and keeps his eyes on Nixie, who joins him inside.

It takes him another round, but he does finally calm down. Checking his fingernails, relieved to see them back to normal, Liam sighs and says, "Thanks." "Sure. But you didn't answer my question."

Liam is laughing, but Nixie really did want an answer to her questions. The only reason she didn't press Liam for an answer, was because of the presence she suddenly felt on the other side of the elevator doors.

It wasn't evil. It wasn't a presence she hated. She did feel a sudden need to be more protective of Liam at the moment… but the presence wasn't one that she felt needed her concern in the sense that he was a threat to everything she held dear.

That being said… Nixie's never felt a presence that felt such a strong sense of… of… obligation? No, that was the wrong word. Nixie had obligations and she took them as seriously as anyone ever could. And it wasn't duty that she felt on the other side of the doors either. Jordan was a person who Nixie could always feel had a sense of duty. It's what made him one of the best police officers this country had ever seen. So that wasn't what this presence had either.

Mission. That was it. The presence that was slowly fading beneath them as the elevator moved… it was as mission-oriented as anyone could be. It had a task, a set goal, and there was not going to be anyone, any place, or anything that stood in it's way of accomplishing that. And Nixie can't help but wonder who that might be, and why they felt that way.

But right now, Liam was her concern. Even if he was fine now, she would walk with him for a few minutes while he cleared his head. And his smile as they stepped out together let her know how much he appreciated that.

Besides, she still needed to know how painfully Liam wanted the bastard that hit him to die.

* * *

As Nixie tosses her bag in along with Scott's, he looks over at her and says, "I would've gotten it for you." "And you are a gentleman for being willing to do that. But Jordan said we could meet him at the school, and I'm in a hurry."

Scott raises an eyebrow, and then says, "You realize we are not going to have time for you guys to… well… to…" Nixie smirks, "Are you trying to give me the birds and the bees pep talk? Scott, I hate to break it to you, but I am already well informed about the birds and the bees." "Okay, ew. TMI. Way TMI." "I'm just saying."

They pile into Stiles' jeep, and after lowering the visor so the keys would drop down, Scott is confused when a slip of paper falls down with it. Picking it up, he then grins and shows it to Nixie. Stiles' final note left as far as taking care of his precious jeep, was to simply 'Be Gentle'. Nixie grins too, and then folds the note and puts it in the glove compartment. As Scott starts trying to crank the engine, he asks, "Where's Lydia? Is she meeting us at the school too?" "No, she's still meeting us here. Which gives us a cause for concern, because she's usually the timely one."

Scott glances over at her, a look on his face that says he really doesn't want anything to happen today to stop them from going to college. And Nixie understands that, but says, "I'm just saying. If the banshee rolls up out of nowhere and says that we can't leave, I'm not leaving. You don't ever argue with a banshee about something like that."

Scott chuckles, and then huffs when he tries to turn over the engine again, and still gets nothing. Nixie reaches over for the key then, and says, "Easy Scott. You just have to use the right touch." And as she turns the key, the engine roars to life, purring beautifully.

Of course, that also cuts the headlights on. Which reveals that Lydia is now standing in front of the jeep. Scott jerks a bit in surprise, but then he looks to Nixie when she sighs in a defeated sort of way. She simply says, "I know what I just said… but I was really hoping it wasn't actually going to happen."

But, as though to contradict those hopes, the first thing out of Lydia's mouth is, "We can't leave."

Scott just stares at her for a moment, his own disappointment settling in at those words. Because Nixie was right. Lydia's interpretation of things, as far as visions went, that was up for debate. Her visions were rarely straight forward, and they needed to be looked at from all angles if you wanted a shot in hell at understanding what they meant. But like it or not, when a banshee got that look in her eyes, and told you that leaving wasn't an option… there was no arguing with that. Bad things were bound to happen, if you ignored a banshee on that point.

But in spite of his disappointment, Scott grins as Nixie flops back in her seat and says, "I'm going to have to unpack my entire suitcase. Do you know how long it took me to figure out how to fit everything in there without the damn thing popping back open? I mean… come on."

Lydia moved to the passenger door, at which point Nixie smiles and says, "You're gonna have to help me pack it again." Lydia grins in return, and then opens the door while Nixie slides herself into the backseat. Hopping in next to Scott, Lydia says, "I had another vision." Nixie nods, "Always reason for concern. Continue." "I was at the school. And one of the hallways was filled with these huge cobwebs. They were thick and they stretched from floor to ceiling. And every one I touched…"

She pauses, and then turns to face them. "It… the sounds I heard when I touched them. It was like they were from the past. Some of them, I mean. Like when we were fighting the Nogitsune, or when we were fighting the alpha pack. Some of the webs held voices of death from those times." Lydia runs a hand through her hair, "And the others… were new sounds. Gunshots and screams of terror. Not like what we've been through before. Like… like it was a forewarning of what's on it's way next. What's on it's way now."

Silence for a moment, and then Lydia says, "And then there was a voice. Some man's voice, and he told me that we let it out. That it was supposed to ride the hunt forever, but we let it out."

Nixie lifts her head at that, and then asks, "So… wait. The guy in your vision trapped someone in the hunt? And because we had to go about saving our entire town, we're the reason it got out?" Lydia nods, and then as Nixie ponders that, she says, "Huh… that's… well, it's not impossible. The hunt was merged with our world for quite some time. If the thing trapped in there had been there long enough to be able to realize where he was, then it's definitely possible that he realized there was an opportunity for escape, and he took it."

Scott turns to her, "What do you mean? Wouldn't he know where he was the whole time?" "No. Stiles is exceptional in that sense. Based on what he was able to tell us after the fact, I'm thinking it took him maybe half a month before he figured out he was stuck waiting for a train that was never going to come. And the only reason Peter figured out he was stuck, is because Stiles woke him up and told him. But the rest of the people…"

Nixie shrugs, "If we hadn't come along, they would've stayed there, sitting in the station, waiting on a train forever. But if this thing was supernatural, and if it was in there long enough to realize that he was trapped…" Scott nods, "Then he saw his chance to get out while we were trying to save Beacon Hills. Great."

Lydia nods, and then says, "And if what I'm seeing and hearing is anything to go by… the hell he'll unleash now that he's out… it's not going to end well. Not if we leave before we fix this."

Scott and Nixie look at each other, and then Scot grins when Nixie says, "We'll have to get Deaton and Melissa to write up notes explaining that we've come down with some serious illnesses. Depending on when we wrap this up, we can either start the semester late, or we'll just have to start in the spring. But don't you guys worry. We will still have complete and total full-rides when all is said and done."

Scott would've commented, but Nixie's phone rang at that moment. Pulling it from her pocket, she asks, "What's up Mase?" "Hellhound! He's… he's a hellhound!"

At hearing the panic in his voice, Nixie was instantly on high alert. That being said… "Mason… we already knew Jordan was a hellhound. That's…" "No! Not Jordan! The other guy he's fighting! He's… he's another hellhound!"

And at the roar Nixie could hear on the other side of the phone, the pained sound of her husband being slashed into, she didn't waste another second on questions. Jordan had been at the school. That's where he was now, if Mason was there too. She shoved her phone back into her pocket and scrambled over the backseat. She didn't' have time to make Lydia or Scott move out of her way.

Her wings tear through her blouse in an instant once she's outside, and she's pretty sure she cracked some of the pavement beneath her feet with her hard takeoff.

As was customary nowadays, she was wearing Alison's coat underneath her clothes. And no, it technically wasn't a coat anymore. But she didn't exactly know what you'd call the new getup that Veronica had fashioned it into. All Nixie knows, is that the material is still from Alison's coat, and with this new design, she never had to worry about removing it before taking off into the sky.

Stiles had told her once she looked like one of those comic book, female warriors… but without the expansive show of boobs in the outfit. And since Stiles was always likening everyone in the pack to some of his favorite comic books heroes, Nixie takes it as one of the highest form of compliments she's ever received.

Nixie assumes Scott or Lydia can call Mason to figure out why she bolted into the sky like a bat out of hell. She didn't have time to explain to them why she was leaving. She just bullets her way through the sky as fast as she can towards the school. And as she hears the roars and feels the heat of the hellhounds below, she also hopes that Mason is keeping himself at a good distance from this fight.

She was so close. A second sooner and she could've prevented it. But while she was descending towards the double doors, that's when Jordan was thrown through them and into the brick wall outside. And that in itself was enough to piss Nixie off.

But then his body went limp. The fire surrounding him went out. And he didn't move. He didn't even look like he was breathing. And his eyes, for a moment, looked as though they'd gone completely lifeless.

The hellhound inside the school was still approaching Jordan at that point. To what end, Liam and Mason didn't know. But it didn't surprise them when he suddenly froze in place as Nixie made impact with the ground. She knows she cracked pavement this time.

"JORDAN!" Falling down beside him, she rolls him to his back. Her hands run over his shoulders worriedly, and then finally settle at his neck. She holds two fingers against his pulse point, tears welling in her eyes from the fear that's building in her heart.

But she finally feels a 'thump. And then another one. They were slow, and farther apart then they should be. But Jordan was alive. His heart was beating.

Nixie gasps hard in relief, dropping her head onto his chest as her tears spill over. The rain begins to fall down in a gentle way, as though to aid in the relief she now feels. But as it hits the ground, it turns to frost and ice around her. Her worry was still too great.

And her rage.

For his part, the hellhound was now staring at this cold creature with a tilted head. He was a hellhound, same as the man he'd thrown through the doors a moment ago. He was centuries older than this newer and younger hellhound. He was also stronger; both because of the age difference, and then simply because of the experience he had gained in his previous years.

But… the closer he came to the dragon on the ground, the more he felt her canceling out his power. He'd been on fire, before she'd arrived. But her swift descent down, and the immediate blast of cold that shot out all around her, had instantly put out his flames. And the closer he got, the more powerless he felt in her presence.

And the young one… the man he'd fought and nearly killed… he seemed to come more alive now that she was with him. The dragon's power did not cancel out his powers. If anything, Jordan's body seemed to flourish, become hotter and hotter, the colder the dragon made it. Her cold had no effect on his ability to heat the entire area.

The hellhound in the hall didn't understand. He was older, more experienced. And yet, this young new hellhound could control flames far hotter than he had ever been able to conjure. Certainly, when they'd been fighting, they'd been on equal footing. But now that the dragon was here, Jordan grew hotter to counteract the cold… while the older hellhound couldn't find a way to overcome the chill she put into the air.

If he'd been about to ask how that was possible though… or if he'd even been about to say anything, Nixie's eyes lifting to find him silenced him immediately. Silver eyes, colder and icier then they had ever appeared before, glare at him from outside. Rising to her feet, she says through her teeth, "You really should've left my husband alone."

Liam's roar from behind tells Nixie that he's ready when she is, and then they both charge the hellhound from either side. But in spite of her cold, he manages to light himself back on fire as they approach. Snarling, he turns to Liam first, throwing the young beta against some nearby lockers.

He was older, for sure. But that didn't make him wiser about everything. He should've tried to handle the dragon first. Because now he hadn't only hurt a blue dragon's mate, but he was continuing to hurt people that mattered to her.

All of which only fueled her rage, and therefore the cold surrounding her. When he turns to finally face her again, she was already right at him. And rather than pull out her knives, she choose to continue working with the ice that was so easily forming around her. Shards of ice formed in her hands, just as sharp and sure as the blades she usually used. Ever since facing the ghost riders, when she'd done that for the first time without even thinking, she'd been practicing with that.

And tonight, it was particularly easy. The hellhound finds himself sliced in four different places before he can even blink. His fire goes out as she roars at him, shoving another cold-front at his body. And then she spins her body around, extending her leg and knocking her foot into his chest hard enough to send him careening to the complete opposite end of the hall.

She throws three shards of ice at him as a distraction, and then hurriedly rushes over to Liam. Checking that he's alright, she says, "Come on. We need to tell Scott." Liam nods in agreement with that, but then glances back at Jordan's prone body still outside the doors. Nixie obviously hadn't forgotten about her husband. That would've been a stupid thing to even begin considering. But Liam knew well enough that Nixie was configuring a way in which she could manage to bring all of them out of here with her, at the same time.

She was a dragon. Liam didn't doubt she was strong. But carrying three people at once might prove a challenge, even for her. Besides… if they were going to leave for college, he needed to prove he could handle things here without them. Even if that might not be what he wanted.

Nixie blinks at him in confusion when, after she helps him up, Liam pushes her towards the open doors. Nodding at Jordan, Liam says, "Get him out of here. I got this." "Liam! He's a…" "Nixie, I'll holler if I need you! Just get Jordan out of here!"

She frowns in disapproval, but sprints to where Jordan is still lying on the ground. And it takes every ounce of willpower she possesses to not turn around again when Liam snarls at the approaching hellhound inside again. Instead, she wrapped her arms around Jordan's torso, and pushed back into the air with a mighty brush of her wings.

She was, however, only halfway home with Jordan when she decided to screw the willpower it was taking to keep heading in the other direction. Liam's howl of pain was not going to be ignored. She landed in the edge of the forest, put Jordan down as gently as she could, and then raced back to the school in record time.

When she got there, Liam was against the lockers again. The hellhound had him pinned there, a torn off locker door in his hands, pressing down on Liam. Snarling, sparks flying off of him, he says, "If the wild hunt couldn't keep you, nothing can."

The wild hunt? What did this idiot know about the wild hunt? And why did he specifically think that it was supposed to have kept Liam?

But even as Nixie marches forward, the hellhound frowns in confusion. Leaning in closer, eyeing Liam up and down again, he finally says, "No. No, it's not you."

And then Nixie, seeing Mason creeping up on the hellhound's other side, decides to try and distract him by interjecting with, "Obviously not, you complete jackass."

The hellhound did turn to look at her, his head tilted in confusion again at the sight of her. But even so, the damn mutt apparently had eyes in the back of his head. Literally, he had to. Because Mason swung the bat as fast and as hard as he could, and the hellhound still caught it. He didn't even flinch, or turn his head to see where the bat was. He just reached out his hand, and caught the damn thing.

Which was, consequently, beginning to melt in his hand.

Well, until Nixie snarls, "Hey! That's Stiles bat!" Her cold rushed into the hall with her, providing another deterrent for the hellhound. And it was enough distraction to give Liam a second to move.

Only a second mind you. Seeing that melting the bat was upsetting the cold dragon, the hellhound opted for letting it go. Which, in his mind, apparently meant taking it and tossing it aside. Along with Mason. Into the wall of lockers.

And now Mason was on the ground. Unconscious.

This hellhound really is an idiot.

Nixie's snarl aggravated him when she came charging faster, rather than calming down. Nothing he did seemed to be the right thing in her eyes. Removing the locker door from Liam, who was already breaking free, he then swung it to try and hit the beta in the head. If he could knock out the wolf, then maybe he could have a moment alone with the dragon. He needed to understand why she was so upset. Even if he was on a mission, he knew enough history to know how dragons were created. She was a person worthy of her power and title. Which meant she was someone to be revered.

Which meant he needed to understand what he was doing wrong. And he needed to explain to her what he was trying to accomplish, so maybe she would stop trying to kill him.

But in any case, his swing missed Liam's head. In the split second he'd had to take advantage of those distractions… Liam had done well. He slipped out of the hellhound's grasp, and ran for the lockers on the other side of the hall. Pushing off of them and flipping into the air, he landed his foot against the jaw of the other man, sending him back into the lockers this time.

Nixie was still keeping the entire area chilled at an uncomfortably low temperature. But upon seeing how much aggression Liam was channeling into his takedown of the hellhound, she opted for letting him handle it, and went to Mason's side.

And for his part, Liam held his own. The hellhound managed to get at him once, at which Nixie snarled ferociously. But Liam gave her a look to stay back, and then continued taking on the hellhound, until he finally managed to beat him back and onto the ground.

Of course, he fell to the ground too. Exhausted and hurt. But the hellhound was down, far more wounded, and too weary to get up again himself.

As Nixie moves closer to Liam though, she can't fathom why the hellhound suddenly starts laughing. Glaring at him, she's about to threaten to rip out his throat. With her teeth. Derek would very much approve of that statement.

But before she can, the hellhound says, "It won't stay hidden." And then he lowers his gaze so he can look at them again. And in spite of his wounds, his weariness, and even Nixie's icy stare, he says, "It must be stopped. Nothing else matters."

And that's when Nixie finally feels it. With all the anger she'd felt at seeing Jordan on the ground when she arrived, she'd completely ignored her ability to read the auras around her. But now that she was paying attention, Nixie recognizes the aura of this man. It was the same one she'd felt in the hospital, when she'd joined Liam in the elevator. The aura that had been on the other side of the elevator door before they moved up a couple floors.

And from the way his aura flares around him, as though providing him a boost of strength, reminding him of that mission… Nixie believes him. Or at least, she believes that he most certainly believes that nothing else matters. Whatever he was hunting? Whatever the wild hunt was supposed to keep contained forever? Nothing else mattered to the hellhound, except that it was stopped.

That being said, Nixie disagrees highly with his assessment. And she tells him as much. "There is most certainly a hell of a lot that matters besides that. Like the fact that my boy is lying on the ground, bleeding, and it's all your fault!"

The hellhound tilts his head at her, and then watches as she takes Liam's hand in her own. And as lines begin to form where the wounds were supposed to be on Liam's stomach and left collar, the hellhound snaps his eyes back to the dragon's face.

Liam pulls his hand away before she can actually begin to bleed. Nixie frowns in disapproval, but Liam simply says, "I'll heal. Check Mason." "I already did. He's fine. You're the one bleeding." "I'll heal." "Yeah, you said that already."

"Blue dragon." Nixie turns her head back to the hellhound, her eyes shining silver and her scales rippling across her skin, showing off their blue color. Glaring, she says, "Yeah. What's it to you?"

He glances between her and Liam on the floor. And finally, he understands what he'd done wrong. Blue dragons were the most rare of them all, and dragons themselves were already a rare race. And blue dragons protected the people that mattered most to them. They protected them with a ferocity that couldn't be matched by any other creature on this earth.

And he had gone about and nearly killed one of them.

Nixie blinks in completely surprise when the hellhound bows his head slightly and says, "I'm sorry." Nixie and Liam look at each other, both shrugging in confusion. Then Liam winces at the pain, before closing his eyes and beginning to recite his mantra again.

By the time he's finished, Mason has woken up, and he's joined them against the lockers. But as they all turn back to look at the hellhound… he's no longer there. A giant patch of blood stains the locker that had been behind him, but the hellhound himself is gone.

Sighing, Nixie says, "Great. Just freaking great." Back to Liam and Mason, Nixie nods at Mason and asks, "You got him?" He nods, and then can't help chuckling when Nixie says, "Good. Because I left my husband lying in the woods, half naked and unconscious. I need to go make sure nobody else finds him and decides to keep his hot body for themselves."

After she takes off out of the building, Mason helps Liam to his feet, and then into the locker rooms. He removes his shirt with a grimace, looking down at the injuries that he'd prevented Nixie from taking. And a small part of him wishes he'd just allowed her, because they weren't healed yet. Thumping his head back against a locker, he says, "They're supposed to be healing faster than this."

Mason gives him a look and says, "It's hellfire. I mean… all things considered, you're doing great!" Still unconvinced, Liam says, "Great isn't supposed to look like this." "Liam… you fought a hellhound. Practically on your own. Without Scott." Liam gives him a look, "Nixie came." "Yeah, and then listened to you and took her husband to safety. And even when she came back, she let you handle the fight. Why do you think she did that?"

Liam ponders that a moment, and then Mason answers for him, "Because she knew you could handle it. On your own." Liam huffs wearily, and then admits, "I don't know when, or if, I'll ever get used to that." Putting a hand on Liam's back, Mason says gently, "Liam… wounds heal. People move. Things change." Sighing, Liam says, "Yeah. But it still hurts, though."

Mason doesn't argue with that. But he does add, "But, it'll only hurt for a while. Your wounds will only hurt for a short while. And you'll only be leading on your own, for a short while. Because that's the beauty of being in a pack. Even when you're miles apart, you're always there for each other. And whether people stay away for years, or even only a few months… they always come back in a heartbeat, when you really need them too."

Squeezing Liam's good shoulders, Mason adds, "You'll never be alone, Liam. Not really. And if you ever start to think that again, just remember one thing." Liam looks to Mason curiously, and Mason just smiles, "You're in a pack with a blue dragon. A creature whose only real weakness, is the thought of being left alone. So if she can't stand being left alone herself, how can you think she's ever going to truly leave you on your own?"

Leaning back, Mason adds, "They'll always come back. Nixie will always come back. She'll always be here for us. She's just a phone call away. But she'll always come…"

As though on cue, she bursts into the room, and Mason grins before finishing, "…back."

Nixie doesn't comment on that. She simply rushes up to Liam. Looking over his wounds, she tilts her head sadly, and then asks, "Are you sure you don't want me to take them?" And a minute ago, he'd wanted her to. But it was different when she was standing there. All her scars on display. Some of them her own, and others were ones she'd taken from everyone else.

No. Mason was right. He would heal. So he shakes his head in response to her question. Nixie seems to chew over that thought for a bit, clearly still not happy with that response. And in reality, it wasn't like he could really stop her anyway. Their ability to stop her at a distance was only because she wasn't physically with them to take the injuries. And even then, she was only able to do that if the injury itself was something as terrible as what the ghost riders had tried doing to them.

Compared to that, this was nothing.

Finally, Nixie says, "Fine." But instead of leaving again, she puts her hands on either side of Liam's face. Kissing his forehead, she says, "I still have to get Jordan. But I forgot to tell you something." And when she pulls back to look at him, she smiles and says, "I am so proud of you."

She kisses his forehead again, and then squeezes Mason's shoulder as well, before taking off back out of the room.

* * *

When Nixie got the text from Lydia, saying that she needed to meet them at Malia's, it took her a moment to decide what to do. Jordan still hadn't woken back up. And although he was now in bed, taken care of and as comfortable as she could get him… she was loathe to simply leave him there.

But her friends needed her. And aside from the ice pack she had resting against his head, there was nothing more Nixie could do for Jordan. So with a sigh, and a kiss to the forehead, Nixie leaves a note on her pillow, and then grabs her bike and heads to Malia's house at lightning speed.

While she's downstairs, preparing to join everyone upstairs, is when Nixie realizes why Lydia wanted her to come. Because Malia, in spite of how very bad everything was clearly about to get, still wanted to leave for Paris. And yes, at some point, there would need to be a better system. A system that allowed for all of them to leave on occasion without fearing that the world would cave in around them.

But right now, they were what Beacon Hills had. They were needed here. And if the three of them that were supposed to be going to school were willing to stay, then Malia should be to.

Which is what Nixie knows Lydia is hoping she'll be able to emphasize. But… well, Lydia was going to be disappointed today. Scott was already explaining to Malia that he wouldn't force her to stay, but he hoped she'd want to help. And Nixie wasn't going to be able to do much better. She was no longer in a fighting mood.

Well… not entirely. If the new hellhound returned, she'd totally kick his ass. But apart from that, she is in no mood to fight with her friends. Her mind was still focused on Jordan, who was lying unconscious in the bed of their home. Nixie just… she just couldn't deal with Malia's more coyote-like nature right now.

So when Malia came to the top of the stairs and saw Nixie standing there, she smiled at first. But then immediately frowned when she saw the look on Nixie's face. Not anger… just deep sorrow. She looked worried, and it was never good when Nixie was worried.

Before she can ask what's wrong though, Nixie just holds up a hand to stop her. Shaking her head, she makes to walk past her to get to Scott and Lydia. Malia catches her arm and says, "Nixie? What's…" Nixie pulls away. Not unkindly, or even in a jerking fashion. She just pulls herself from Malia's reach.

Sighing tiredly, she says, "I can't today, Malia. Alright? Too much shit has happened in the past couple of days for us to not know that we need to stay here. And I get that you're still the blunt coyote. You're still learning a lot. But you've been with us long enough to at least know this much by now." Shaking her head again, Nixie says, "You want to go, and that's fine. I'm not going to argue with you about it. I don't have the time, or the energy. So it you're going to go, then just go. I don't have time to waste trying to convince you otherwise."

And with that, Nixie continues on up the stairs, finding Scott and Lydia still in Malia's room. Lydia looks her up and down, and then tilts her head sadly and asks, "Jordan?" Nixie shakes her head, "Still unconscious. He's alive, and breathing. Aside from a bump still on his head, he appears fine. His other wounds have healed. He's just… not waking up."

Scott's arms wrap around her from behind. And Nixie relaxes as he kisses the top of her head and says, "He will. Don't worry."

Silence for a moment, and then Nixie sighs and asks, "So… what…" But before she finishes, Scott reaches out swiftly to catch the bag that was being thrown at them. Malia walks back in, arms crossed and not exactly looking thrilled to be here. But she softens her gaze when she looks at Nixie again, and then asks Scott, "What are we supposed to do?"

And it relieves them all when Nixie says, albeit in a gentler voice than usual, "Hey. That was my line." Scott squeezes her tighter, and then says, "Find a hellhound."

And Nixie groans before saying, "We actually need to find him? Can't we just… I don't know… avoid him? Or kill him?" Scott gives her a look, to which she says, "Hey, he hurt Jordan. All bets are off. Which means while we're hunting for him, you'd better pray I don't find him first."

But, Lydia stops that plan by saying, "Nixie… we need him."

Silence for a moment, and then Nixie sighs before saying, "Fine. Everyone load up in the jeep. And Lydia. Explain to my why we need this other hellhound. Because we have one, and in my opinion, Jordan is a hell of a lot better than this other guy."

On the way to the woods, Malia and Nixie in the back, with Lydia and Scott up front, Lydia explains. "We opened a door to another world. And something came out with us. Now we need the hellhound to stop it."

Nixie opens her mouth to comment again on the needing of this new hellhound. But before she can, Malia huffs and says, "So we put it back. We've put things back before." Nixie gives her a look, and when she meets Lydia's eyes in the rearview mirror, Nixie wipes a hand over her face before saying, "Yeah. I know." Malia looks at all of them and asks, "What? Why are you all looking at each other like there's something you know that I don't?"

To which Nixie raises an eyebrow and says, "Maybe, and I'm just spit-balling here, but maybe it's because we've actually been trying to help out these past two days, and you've been sitting in front of a computer, solely concerned with whether or not your flight would take off on time or not."

So… yes, Nixie was still not pleased with Malia's attitude about staying here, up until this point. But at least now, Malia has the decency to settle back into her seat, the look on her face one that suggested she'd now been sufficiently berated. Scott glances back at Nixie, a look in his eyes that asked for her to ease up a bit.

She simply raised an eyebrow back at him, daring him to ask her to ease up out loud. She wasn't blind. And she hadn't forgotten how close those two had already been getting before school let out when they graduated. And it hadn't been lost on her that, when Malia told them all she was going to Paris to find 'hot French men'… well, Scott hadn't exactly been pleased. He always had a calm demeanor, and he'd wished her luck on her trip at the time.

But Nixie knew her boy. And the look on his face afterwards had been disappointed and possibly a little ticked.

In any case, she hadn't done anything to intrude in what she felt was the slowest possible relationship that had ever started brewing between two people. She'd given Scott one look, on a day when he'd complained about Malia not leaving for college like the rest of them. A look that told him that she knew exactly why he was really upset about her going to Paris. But other than that, neither of them had openly talked about it or broached the subject.

And in keeping with that pattern, Scott promptly turned back to facing the road, though he did shake his head a little in amusement. He didn't think Nixie would actually do anything that would reveal his developing feelings for the were-coyote. But… well, he wasn't about to push it right now.

He did still find her threat amusing. Now, if she threatened to hit him in the head in a few seconds… now that he would believe.

In any case, Lydia finally says to Malia's original question, "We saved Stiles. We brought everyone back. But… that's not the way it's supposed to happen." Nixie nods and adds gravely, "There is always a price to pay." Scott nods, "We learned that from the Nemeton."

Malia leans forward, definitely worried now, and asks, "What kind of price? A big price?" Nixie meets Lydia's gaze in the rearview mirror, and feels her heart jump worriedly when Lydia affirms, "Big."

They all relax a little though when Nixie says, "For the sake of paying it quickly, I am fully willing to sell my bike. It has been dear to me, and I will cry when it leaves. But I'm a dragon. I can fly wherever the hell I want. And Scott, quit laughing at me."

He raises an eyebrow and asks, "Because you're serious?" "Yes! How did you know?!"

* * *

Before they actually get to the school parking lot, Nixie says, "So… I still need to ask. Lydia, why do we need this particular hellhound?" Concern working it's way onto her face, Lydia asks, "Do you not trust him?" Nixie ponders that a moment, and then says, "It's not that I don't trust him. I just… I don't think I'd specifically trust him with what's important to me."

When everyone gives her a look of confusion, Nixie sighs. "He… almost killed Liam and Jordan. Would have… except… he finally got a good look at Liam, and he realized that Liam wasn't actually the one he was after."

Shaking her head, she says, "He's the most mission-driven person I've ever seen in my life. And by that, I mean that nothing else matters to him. Literally nothing. If it comes down to saving people, or sacrificing everyone so he can catch this thing… he'd let the entire world burn to ashes so he could complete his mission."

Lydia nods in understanding when Nixie tacks on, "He's not evil. I just… really don't agree with his methods." And then Nixie looks to Lydia again and asks, "So why do we have to have him?" Turning so she can face Nixie more fully, Lydia says, "Because whatever we let out… that's the whole reason this guy is a hellhound."

When Nixie tilts her head, obviously asking for more, Lydia continues. "Remember when we were talking to Jordan in the cooling machine? Before he and the hellhound were in sync? He told us that he was born the day Scott, Stiles, and Alison sacrificed themselves to the Nemeton."

Nodding to herself, as though she was becoming more certain of it the more she thought about it, Lydia says, "I think that's a part of how hellhounds even come into existence. Like… like dragons, almost! Dragons aren't born, per say. They are chosen by the supernatural nature of things. You were chosen because you are the prime candidate to be a blue dragon. And when tested, you passed with more than flying colors."

Nixie still hasn't completely come to terms with the fact that her mom went insane so the supernatural essence of everything in this world could test her resolve. But apart from that, Nixie can see where Lydia is going with this. Lydia adds, "I think hellhounds are created out of a necessity by the supernatural. When we added power to the Nemeton, we turned Beacon Hills into a magnet for supernatural creatures, and all the mayhem that has followed. And because of that, the supernatural world needed a new being to add to it's protection and safe keeping. And that's why Jordan became a hellhound."

Nodding, Nixie asks, "So… why do we still need the other hellhound?" "Because Jordan is a hellhound with the mindset of trying to protect Beacon Hills, and this pack. That's his purpose as a hellhound. But this other guy… he's the one whose purpose is to track down and stop this… this… well, whatever it is. It's his job."

Silence for a moment, and then Nixie sighs, "Fine. But when we find him, you stay behind me. And if he tries to hurt any of you, I reserve the right to break several of his bones. Maybe all of his bones. I've yet to decide." Lydia raises an eyebrow, "Don't you think you're overreacting a bit?"

But before Nixie can respond, Scott says for her, "Jordan still isn't awake. Until he is, all bets are off. So we'd all better just do what we can to make sure this hellhound doesn't find a reason to hurt us. Because Nixie will kill him, regardless of how much we might need him." And in spite of how much they did need this guy, Scott can't help grinning when Nixie says, "Damn straight."

* * *

When they pull up at the school, Scott immediately hops out and says, "Okay. We should move pretty quickly." Hopping out behind him, Malia asks, "Do we even know what we let out?" Nixie raises an eyebrow and says, "Obviously not. That's why we're entertaining the idea of still keeping Mr. Hellhound around. Where have you been the past ten minutes?"

Scott nods, and to emphasize what Nixie's pointing out, he says, "This hellhound might be the only one who does."

And as if on cue, which Nixie notes happens a lot in this town, a roar echoes from within the forest behind the school. Scott hurriedly ushers them all forward to try and track it. As they venture further into the woods, the roar erupts again… joined by a woman's scream. Nixie huffs and says, "If he's killing some innocent woman, and not the creature he's supposed to be killing, I'm going to be pissed."

But as they hurry on and the roaring continues, Nixie hurries up to Scott's side and also comments, "He's in pain." "How can you tell?" "How can you not?! He's not roaring in anger. He's roaring because he's hurt." She glances back at Lydia, and then adds, "And if we really need him, then we need to hurry up."

But even though they do, even though Nixie drops back to pick Lydia up, so they can all sprint at their supernatural speed to get there… they're too late. The hellhound, when they do find him, is laying at the bottom of the short hill they arrive at. The wounds on his chest were from the fight with Liam, which Nixie had already told them about.

The bullet wound to his forehead however… that was something new. And as he laid there, not moving and not breathing… well, Nixie couldn't help the terror that swept through her. Because this guy was a hellhound. And he was dead.

Her thoughts are echoed when Lydia says aloud, "I thought you couldn't kill a hellhound." Nodding, Nixie adds, "That makes two of us."

As Lydia moves to wrap Nixie in a comforting hug, Scott bends down to pick up a discarded bullet-casing. Which, in itself, wasn't all that strange to find. The hellhound was dead, with a bullet hole in his head. Finding a bullet-casing was expected.

But when he turned it around to reveal the crest embedded into the metal, Scott gasped out, "Argent."

Lydia glances down at the hellhound, then at the bullet. Her lips tighten together in a worried line for a moment, before she says, "Then it's true." Malia looks between all of them, and upon seeing Nixie's confused expression as well, she asks, "What's true?" When Lydia doesn't elaborate, Nixie moves to stand in front of her.

Tilting her head, she gently asks, "Lydia? What else did you hear?" Lydia lifts her eyes to meet Nixie's, and then lets out a shaky breath before answering. "The sound of people who've never lifted a hand against another human being." Scott looks between the two, and then asks, "Something was killing them?" But at the fear in Lydia's eyes, Nixie shakes her head and says, "No. It wasn't something like us that was killing them? Lydia?"

Finally, she swallows thickly and answers, "They were killing each other."

And now they're biggest lead to trying to find the damn thing that was going to cause all of this, was lying on the ground, dead in front of them. And all Nixie can think to say in response to that is, "Damn it."

* * *

Back in Scott's room, all of them sitting on the bed beside each other, Scott is holding Nixie's phone in his hands. Nixie's phone, because when Nixie called it didn't matter what else was going on. You answered. You could be in the middle of a test, in a class, or standing before a serial killer with a gun pointed at your head. And if the phone rang and Nixie's name appeared on the screen, you still answered the phone.

But they weren't dialing yet. Lydia runs a worried hand over her mouth before saying, "In case anyone forgot…" Malia scoffs and Nixie puts a hand to her head and says, "Oh Lydia. Please tell me you didn't just use the 'F' word." Lydia rolls her eyes, "Yes, I just said 'forgot'. Sue me. But it needs to be pointed out that… we almost lost him last time."

'Him' being Stiles. That is who they were considering calling. And Nixie knows that, if it was her, she'd be pissed as hell if they didn't call her immediately to tell her what was going on. And Stiles… well, he was Stiles. Having him in on this would be a big help. Having him in on anything, would always be a big help.

But Lydia was on point. They had nearly lost him. And everyone, even Nixie, was still working to get over that. They couldn't keep him out of danger forever. Hell, he was joining the FBI. He would be in dangerous situations, with or without them, for the rest of his life. But this… it was still a little soon.

But… in spite of that point, Malia makes one just a solid when she says, "If this turns out to be something big, and we don't call him…" Scott sighs, "He would kill us."

To ease some of the tension rising in the room, Nixie flops back on the bed and says, "Speak for yourselves. Stiles wouldn't ever dare threaten to kill me. He'd never even threaten to hit me in the back of the head, like I do with all you losers."

Lydia glances back at her and says, "Maybe. But he might threaten to never make your coffee again." The speed with which Nixie snaps back into a sitting position makes them all laugh. And even as she grins at them, Nixie says, "You should not say such devastating things. I don't think I'd survive."

Malia shakes her head in amusement, and then suggests, "Maybe we should just go back to the woods tonight and find the killer." Silence for a moment, and then Lydia turns to Scott and asks, "Scott?" He looks at all of them, and then sighs, "You and Malia didn't hear his voice on the message he left me and Nixie. He sounded really excited to be there." Nixie nods, and then punches in the password on her phone and says, "Just play them the voicemail, Scott."

Stiles' voice breaks over the phone. _"Hey, Nixie. Hey, Scott. So, I'm here. I'm in Quantico, Virginia. At the FBI. I'm at the freaking FBI! It's real. I'm really here! Uh, and I kind of told Lydia that I miss her and I can't wait to get home, but…"_ He pauses, and then continues, _"Listen… you guys? Whatever you're doing right now… just make sure you're still getting out of Beacon Hills. I mean… maybe you think you can't leave, you know. Like, the whole thing falls apart if you're not there. And I get it, I do. But you have to. And I know you guys are supposed to drive out tonight, so if you don't call me back, just promise me you're actually going. Just get in the jeep, and go. Oh, and don't forget, Nixie, I wrote down the recipe for your coffee on the new notebook I bought you for your anatomy class. And the supplies for making it are already in the box in the back of the jeep. And I miss you. And I love you guys. And yes, Nixie, I will remember to call or text you, at least once a day. Even if it's just with a smiley face or something. I won't forget. Alright, bye!"_

They all smile as the message ends, and then Lydia sighs and says, "So… we don't tell him." Nixie nods, but then emphasizes, "Yet." When Scott looks at her in confusion, she says, "Like he won't somehow figure out what's going on here, just because we don't tell him. So we will… eventually. When we know we need his expertise on coming up with bizarre, insane, and sometimes suicidal plans. But until then… let's work the problem and try to do this ourselves."

When everyone finally nods in agreement, Nixie jumps up off the bed. Clapping her hands together, she says, "Alright. So, I need the number for the RAs, the supervisors, and possibly the deans for both of you guys." She points to Lydia and Scott. And then to Scott, she says, "Tell your mom that I need those medical emergency notes quickly if possible. People are going to want them faxed over ASAP. The longer we take, the more suspicious it looks."

As those two get on that, Nixie looks to Malia and says, "And I need the number for the airline you were about to fly away on." Malia hands over her phone, but says, "They already told me I won't be refunded." "I'm aware. I have also, in the past hour, memorized their reimbursement policy. So you will be refunded. And quite possibly over-compensated for all this hassle we're going through, before I'm finished with these people."

When Lydia shakes her head, she then laughs when Nixie says from behind her, "I sense doubt, and am highly offended. I mean, seriously. Do you people know me at all?"

* * *

When Jordan woke up, the first thing he noticed was that he wasn't completely covered in cold. There was only one spot of cold, and it was on the back of his head. He assumes a lump must've been there earlier, but as he touches that spot now, he doesn't feel anything.

Nixie wasn't here, which definitely wasn't good. The fact that he was here, in bed, meant that she knew he'd been attacked. He wondered briefly if she'd caused a rainstorm when she found him. He'd have to figure that out later. Currently, the more pressing issue was that she wasn't here. And he knows she most certainly wouldn't have driven off to school with him like this.

Which meant something else had definitely happened after he'd gotten knocked out. Something serious enough to merit Nixie leaving him here, which is something he knows she wouldn't have been fond of doing. He needs to call her, to let her know that he's alright. And to figure out if she's alright, because if this new hellhound had done anything to hurt her, he would kill him.

Sighing, he works himself out of bed and into the kitchen. His phone was sitting on the counter, where he usually left it. And as he opened it, he couldn't help grinning when the screen immediately showed Nixie's number in the contacts list. She'd set it up that way so that, as soon as he got to it, the first button he'd have to hit would be her number to call.

He was about to… except the phone started ringing. And he would've hung up… except it was Liv. Sighing, he swipes to answer, "Hey, Liv." "Hey!"

Nixie was still learning all of his sister's and his grandma's quirks and tells. But Jordan knew both of them like the back of his hand. And the high, almost screechy pitch, that his sister had just reached… yeah, that wasn't good. Pinching the bridge of his nose, he asks, "What's wrong?" "Why would you ask that? Can't I just call up my big brother? Can't I just want to say hi?" "Yeah, you could. But you're not. So what's wrong?"

When she doesn't answer, Jordan says, "Liv, I don't have time for you to beat around the bush, alright? This day has just been shot to hell, and I need to go find Nixie. Like… now. So if it's really important, spit it out. Otherwise, I'm gonna have to call you back tomorrow."

She sighs on the other end of the phone, but then asks dismally, "Have you received any calls or letters or emails from… from anyone strange lately?" Frowning, Jordan says, "No. Why? Is someone stalking you? What's going on?" "Oh no! Nothing like that. I'm fine. I am totally fine."

A pause, and then Liv says, "Alright, fine. It's… it's mom and dad. And Marcus. All of them." Frowning again, Jordan asks, "What about them? Are they hurt?" "No! God… alright, just… just let me get this out."

Sighing, she says, "So… Grams and I didn't tell them about the wedding. That's what you wanted, and we totally supported that. Understood completely. Got it. That being said…" Another pause, and then Jordan's eyes widen when Liv says, "All the weddings get published in the paper, or on the internet, in some form or another. And I don't know how they even found it or why they would've been looking at what weddings had taken place in Beacon Hills… but… they know, Jo. They know you're married. They know you're living and staying in Beacon Hills. And they…"

When she stops again, Jordan asks, "Liv… what?" "They're… they're coming, Jordan. They're coming to Beacon Hills."

The silence that meets her makes her wonder if Jordan had simply hung up the phone. But then, finally, she can't help but close her eyes and nod in agreement when she hears him say, "Shit!"

* * *

When Nixie made her way home, braking so hard she left skid marks as her bike slid into the garage, she tore her way into the house and almost immediately ran into the bedroom. That was where she'd left Jordan.

In hindsight, she obviously should've known he wouldn't still be in there. His phone had been on the counter for Pete's sake. But it was only the fact that his arm caught her around the waist that she didn't actually get into the bedroom before realizing he wasn't there. Apparently the screech of her bike had very clearly alerted him to her mood.

Sighing as his heat immediately engulfs her, she leans back against his chest and says, "Never do that again." He kisses the side of her throat tenderly, "I'll do my best. I promise." Turning in his arms, she asks, "Are you alright?" "I'm fine. Everything's healed. Not even a bump left on my head."

She runs her fingers into his hair and over that spot anyway, just to be sure. Sighing in relief again, she finds him grinning in amusement at her when she looks at his face again. Narrowing her eyes, she says, "Don't you dare laugh at me. I've been worried sick." "I know. And I don't mean to laugh."

He leans forward, resting his forehead against hers. Brushing his nose against hers, he asks, "Do I pass inspection?" "I'm not sure. I haven't completed my more thorough examination yet. Could take a while?" "Is that right?" "You have no idea. We're talking hours."

He chuckles at her, still amazed at how her sex drive was acting right now. In fact, it was even more surprising at this point, considering she was no longer leaving for college right away. She'd already called everyone's supervisors and gotten them all leaves of absence. If they ended up having to stay in Beacon Hills longer than a month, she had also arranged that they be allowed to simply start their classes in the spring, rather than the fall.

Bottom line, she wasn't about to leave him any time soon. So why was her lust still on the high end of the spectrum?

Before he could get very far into that though, Nixie kissed him hard, and he fell into that kiss with a groan. And she clearly had no intention of stopping. And with the way her hands were trailing over his skin… it took all of his willpower to take her hands in his and draw them away.

She pulled back with a pout, which made Jordan groan before pleading, "I need to talk to you, Nixie. Please?"

It was the 'please', more than anything, that got to her. Jordan shouldn't have to beg for them to have a conversation. He should simply be able to gently pull her away, and then they could talk.

Seriously. What the hell was going on with her?

Deaton. She definitely needed to talk to Deaton. And she'd do that… right after Jordan told her what he needed to tell her.

Fixing him with her utmost attention, she nods and asks, "What's up?" He kisses her forehead, and then sighs and says, "I… it's… Liv just called… and… she just… she told me…"

Nixie watches him as he lets her go and begins pacing in front of her. Which was not good. Pacing wasn't his thing. He more stood on the side, looking at everything and taking it in, with his calm demeanor and exuberant amount of patience. Nixie, between the two of them, was the pacer.

She finally steps into his path. Hand landing gently on his chest, she says, "Jordan… just tell me. What has you so worried?" He stares into her deep blue eyes for a moment, letting their beauty and assuredness calm him. Whatever was wrong, even though she didn't know what it was, she was confident that she could fix it. She would always fix it, because nothing that wasn't a supernatural problem should ever bother Jordan this much.

Finally, he says, "My parents… and my brother. They… they know we're married." Nixie nods to that, and when nothing else happens, she prompts, "And?" Jordan sighs, and then adds, "And they're coming here. To Beacon Hills. They… hell, I don't even know why or what they want or what they expect. But… they're coming here."

Nixie takes a moment to absorb that information. Then she straightens her posture and begins to pace. But, unlike Jordan's pacing, hers was simply the pacing that went with her mind working to think up a strategy.

Jordan watches her with a tilted head for a moment, and then blinks when she asks, "You don't particularly like them. Right? I mean, your brother you're still kind of okay with. But your parents… you and them have problems. Right?" He nods, to which she says, "So they can't stay here. That's out of the question. We'll give them directions to a hotel. Maybe one on the border of Beacon Hills. That would at least keep them at the edge of the danger that's about to come at us." Pausing for a moment, she turns to look at him, "If I tell them to leave, will they?"

Jordan ponders that, and then shrugs, "Probably not. Mom in particular… if she's coming, it's because she wants something. I have no idea what that is, but she won't leave until she either gets it, or figures out that it's impossible to get. It's why I haven't spoken to her in so long. I went into the Army, and when she found out I would never be working in her business… or in any business setting, she just stopped talking to me."

Nixie nods, and then says, "Well, then after we figure out what she wants, I'll make it my job to show her she can't have it. I'm good at these things. And if she won't listen, I'm not above slapping her in the head. Do you have a problem with that?"

He raises an eyebrow now, but shakes his head. Nixie nods again, and then says, "We'll have to put her in her place. And your father and brother. If they come in here demanding things, like the entire world is supposed to just unfold before their feet like a red carpet, I am going to be pissed. Like… it's going to get cold in here. And then I'm going to kick them out, until they learn some manners. I don't care if they're your family. This is our house, I'm your wife, and they do not get to disrespect us here."

She would've continued pacing… except Jordan started laughing. Raising an eyebrow at him, she asks, "What on earth is so funny? I'm serious." "I am well aware that you are serious." Coming up to her, backing her into the wall behind her now, he says, "I love you." Nixie smiles at that, "I love you too. But I'm strategizing now, so don't…"

His lips catch hers in a swift kiss, and then he trails down to her neck. Attacking the sensitive skin there with open-mouthed kisses, he scrapes his teeth over the curve and grins when she shivers. Up to her ear, he whispers, "Don't what? Distract you?" "Jordan… don't… I…" His hands start sliding down her sides, and she whimpers before saying, "Be nice." "I am being nice. So incredibly nice."

Before he actually gets to her hips, he kisses her cheek and says, "I love you. I love how easy you make all of this seem. I love how unintimidated you are. And I love how easy it is for me to distract you." He pauses, and then adds for clarification, "Well… when the crisis we're facing isn't looming immediately in front of us."

Nixie nods, and then catches his wrists before he can tease her hips. Tilting his head at her curiously, he then grins when she bites her lower lip before saying disappointedly, "I'm… hungry. I haven't eaten since… well, we were supposed to eat on the way to college, and that didn't happen. So…"

Jordan kisses the top of her head, and then wraps his arms around her, soothing them up her back in a calming gesture. She melts into him instantly, and Jordan chuckles before asking, "Do you want something quick, or a full blown meal?" "Quick."

When he leans back with a raised eyebrow, Nixie does blush. But she still doesn't miss a beat when she says, "Oh, make no mistake. Soon as I'm fueled up with food, we will be returning to this. So much of this." Smirking, Jordan asks, "Hours?" "Don't tease me." "Don't tempt me. You've made me rather incredibly happy. I've half a mind to turn your phone off so you can't possibly find an excuse to leave me tonight."

And he can't help laughing when Nixie smirks and says, "You're terrible to tease me so. I hope you know that."

* * *

And that's Chapter 1! Ta Da! Let me know what you think. Chapter 2 will follow shortly (I hope).


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I maker her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 2: Episode 6x12

Nixie isn't entirely sure how to start this conversation. In her opinion, it was rather different than trying to tell someone about a new scar she'd obtained, or some new ability she might be developing as a dragon. This was… well…

It was her sex life. Which was great… but she suspects that if she'd been mated to a non-supernatural creature, like Stiles for example… it may not have turned out that way. Jordan could keep up with the fact that suddenly, simply because he'd walked into the room, she wanted him. And Nixie wasn't like a machine. She got tired too.

But it was getting ridiculous. Just last night, or early morning, take your pick. Anyways, they'd just finished, and Nixie was curling into Jordan to fall asleep. She was tired… like, she really just wanted to lay there and never move again. And yet… the lust came back.

Hence her being here. As soon as Jordan had left for his early shift, she'd gone to see Deaton at the clinic. She might've also brought Lydia with her… but Lydia was already in the woods with Scott and Malia. They were going to make sure Noah found the body they'd called to tell him about.

So… she was here alone. She wasn't sure if that part was making her more nervous or not. Lydia was the one who demanded, more than anyone else, that she not hide things anymore. Which meant that being with Lydia, and having her in the room, usually made it easier to share her troubles. But this… Nixie isn't sure with this one.

Deaton, for his part, is standing across from her. When she'd come in, she'd hopped up on one of his examining tables and told him they needed to talk. And then she went silent. Deaton can still see the gears in her head turning, trying to figure out how to broach this. It worried him as much as it intrigued him. Yes, she used to be secretive. But once people found out about how hurt she'd been, or what her worries were… Nixie usually didn't have a problem coming clean. She hadn't liked the outfit they'd put her in when she'd first shown them all her scars… but telling them about those scars had only troubled her in the sense that she didn't want them to feel bad, or like any of her injuries were their fault.

So what on earth should she want to talk about right now, that was making her so silent?

Finally though, Nixie runs both hands through her hair and sighs. Lifting her head to look at Deaton, she says, "I… need to talk to you like… like you're my doctor, or personal physician, or something like that." He smiles gently, "I consider myself to be the personal physician for the whole pack, so that works out nicely."

She smiles a bit, but it shrinks immediately, so Deaton steps forward. "Nixie, my dear… just tell me what's on your mind. And if I can help in any way, I will do my utmost." Nixie nods after a moment more of thought, and then closes her eyes and says, "I… I've been… for the past month of so… I've been feeling…"

Huffing, she throws up her hands, "I've been craving sex with Jordan. Like… a lot. Far more than I think should be considered healthy."

There's a pause after that, and Nixie is about to cringe and run out of the building, as though attempting to have this conversation was a huge mistake. But then Deaton asks gently, "And that didn't start immediately after the first time you two…" He leaves the question hanging, but Nixie gets it. Shaking her head, she says, "It was… normal. I mean… I've always wanted him. Always. But after the wedding… and after our first time… I mean, I didn't feel any different. Just happy that we were married. But not like I had to have sex with him all the time. It was… it was just normal."

Rolling her eyes, she adds, "I can't believe I'm using the word 'normal' as a descriptor for us." Deaton smiles gently, and then asks, "And you say this… 'craving'… it started about a month ago?" Nixie nods, and then adds, "I thought it just had something to do with the fact that I was getting ready to go off for college. You know? Like how the dragon and I don't ever really want to leave Jordan. How we need to be able to see, in some capacity, that he's still safe and unharmed; even when there's no danger around."

Nixie looks up at him now and says, "But we're not leaving now. Not until we figure out what's going on anyways. And I still feel like… like…" She runs her hands through her hair again, "I came home last night, and he'd been hurt beforehand. You know about that, right?" Deaton nods, and she continues, "Well… normally, I would continue to be worried sick about him. Like, I'd run in, I'd figure out he was fine. But in the back of my mind, for the rest of the night, I'd still be trying to make sure nothing had changed. I mean, I guess I do that with everyone. I know they're not lying to me, I can sense that. But I still don't really take my eyes off of them, just in case something is still wrong that they just don't know about."

Deaton raises an eyebrow, "I was under the impression that no one was ever really out of your eyesight anyways. Hurt or not." Nixie grins, "Ha, ha… very funny." He chuckles, "But… last night?" Nixie sighs, "I walked in… or… well, I ran in. Anyways, I went in and we talked for about a minute, if that, about whether he was fine or not. And then… then I wanted him again. Like somehow, in that minute, I'd determined he was fine, and now we could go to bed and… well, have sex."

Looking to Deaton again, she says, "But he needed to talk to me. And I… I still wanted him. He practically had to beg me to take a minute so we could have a conversation. And I mean, it only took a second. I was paying attention immediately after that. But… he shouldn't have had to ask me. He should've just been able to pull away, and I should've known we needed to talk."

Deaton takes all of that in for a moment, and then says, "Alright. If you're okay with it, I'm going to run through some basic tests. Get a blood workup for you, and see how that looks. Would that be alright with you?" "Yes. Absolutely."

As he goes about setting that up, Nixie's phone goes off. "Yeah, Lydia? What's up?" "Um… how fast can you get here?" "As fast as you need me. As usual. Why?" "Well, it's just… Scott's acting weird." Nixie raises an eyebrow, "I was under the impression we were all kind of weird." "Oh, shut up. You know what I mean. Weirder. He's… he seems on edge, if that helps."

Nixie frowns, and then glances over at Deaton, who is ready for her. Nodding, she says, "I'm with Deaton right now. Soon as I'm done here, I'll be with you guys."

A pause, and then Lydia asks, "Nixie, why are you with Deaton right now? What's wrong? Are you okay? Did you get hurt again? Why didn't you tell me? Does Jordan know? Are you…" "Lydia! Geez, take a chill pill." "But…" "Look… something's just been a little bit off lately. Alright? Nothing major. At least, I don't think. Anyways, I'll come find you guys in a bit. And later on, when we're alone, I'll tell you about it. Okay?"

Lydia ponders that, and then says, "Alright, fine. But I want details." "Yeah, I'm not so sure you do. But I'll do my best." "Good. See you in a bit." "Bye."

Deaton nods after she's hung up, and then first hands her a small wide-mouth cylinder. Nixie takes it with a confused look, but then groans and asks, "Are you serious? You want me to pee into a cup? Are you testing me for drugs?"

He chuckles, "No. But it's a common test. And hopefully, with this and the blood workup, we'll find the answers we need, and not need to do anything more invasive." "Fine. But I resent the fact that we supernatural creatures have to use such natural means of medicine to figure out why we're sex-crazed. And don't you dare laugh at me. I'm serious."

* * *

As Nixie soared through the air above the preserve, she couldn't help but acknowledge that feeling again. That something just downright frightening was there, with them, surrounding them. The same as she'd felt in the hospital before she'd found Jordan and Liam.

She pushes it away, as though nothing more than a nuisance. Which it was, right now. She didn't have time for fear to be plaguing her thoughts. And why was that exactly?

Because below her, in the thick of the trees, Scott was barreling through the woods as though his life depended on it. When she'd still been in the distance, she'd heard him mutter something about hunters.

But there were no hunters. Not the ones they were used to, anyway. Nixie had seen the cop cars earlier. It was just Noah, Jordan, and a band of the police force that had come to search the woods for the body they'd found earlier in the night.

Why the hell Scott thought they were hunters… Nixie has no idea. But she's almost ready to join them, when she hears Scott tackle Noah onto the ground. And though Noah tells Scott that it's him… Scott doesn't seem to be registering it.

Seriously. What the hell was going on?

As she dives down several feet away, making sure she's out of sight so the cops won't see her wings, she sighs in relief when she hears Noah say, "Everybody, stay back. It's just a kid."

Nixie runs over to where Lydia and Malia are standing off to the side. Gripping Lydia's shoulder, she asks, "What'd I miss?" Lydia turns to see her, and then takes off her jacket so Nixie can put it on over her leather outfit. Then she says, "I have no idea. He just… he…" Nixie nods to that, but then they all snap their gaze over to one of the other officers when she asks, "What's wrong with the kid's eyes?"

Damn it. Scott must've been glowing his red eyes when he'd tackled Noah. Which, the fact that Scott had been wolfed out at all, when there were no actual hunters in the woods… yeah, that was disturbing in itself. But now a cop had seen them.

Jordan puts himself between the cop's gun and Scott on the ground several feet back. Shaking his head, he says, "You heard the sheriff. Stand down."

The fact that she didn't immediately lower her gun didn't really concern Jordan. But the fact that she didn't was making several other officers back away from both of them. Vargas, which was the other officer's name, glanced around at them in confusion for a moment. And even Jordan was a bit unsure why they were suddenly backing away as though they were afraid for their lives.

But when both of them looked back down… Vargas nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw not Jordan… but Nixie standing there. She was literally only a centimeter away from the outstretched firearm.

Her eyes weren't glowing silver, but they were still cold as ice when she asked slowly, "Officer Vargas. Why are you still pointing a gun at my husband?" Her hands shook for a moment, but then finally lowered the weapon. Shaking her head, she says, "Uh… sorry… I… I just…" Nixie tilts her head at the officer, feeling some of the fear that had been permeating the air lift as the gun was lowered and holstered back to her hip.

Nodding, Nixie says, "It's all good. Don't do it again… but it's all good." Then she turns to Jordan.

Shaking his head at her, he says, "You're supposed to be asleep." "While my friends are running around in the woods, finding dead bodies and things? Jordan, babe, come on. You know me too well for that." She kisses him on the cheek, and then pats his firm chest with a grin before moving to check on Scott.

His eyes were normal now, but he looked utterly ashamed of himself for what had just happened. Nixie bends down to his height and asks, "What happened?" "I don't know. I just… I don't know."

Nixie glances over at Malia and Lydia… but they don't appear to have any better explanation either. So finally, Nixie simply reaches out her hand for Scott. Helping him to his feet, she says, "Well, let's work to make sure that, whatever it was, it doesn't happen again. Sound good?" "Yeah. Yeah, sounds great." "Good. Now, where's Noah?"

Noah raises an eyebrow, and then laughs when she asks, "Are you hurt? Because if you are, I can slap Scott in the back of the head for you. He'll understand." Noah shakes his head at her, and Nixie smiles when Scott wraps an arm around her shoulders. Kissing the side of her head, he asks, "What would we do without you?" "Wallow in self-pity. Which is not a good thing to do, I might add."

When they finally take Noah and Jordan to show them the body, Scott still feels bad as he says, "I'm so sorry." Noah looks up at him and nods in understanding. Then Scott asks, "You don't think they saw anything, do you?" Jordan glances up at them, but then back down at the hellhound on the ground.

It was a hellhound. A dead hellhound. A creature they thought you weren't supposed to be able to kill. And he was dead.

It wasn't so much the mortality of his own existence that got to Jordan. When he joined the Army, he knew he might die. When he became trained to handle IEDs, he knew there was an even greater chance of him dying. And when he came back and decided to join the police force, he knew that every day on this job, wherever he was, he might one day come into a bad situation, and die. So no, that's not what worried him.

Nixie. That was what worried him. Her protective nature alone, if he was simply a member of the pack, would make losing him hard. He'd already seen how hard she took it when they lost Alison.

But he was more than that. He was her mate. He was her husband. And losing him…

He looks up to meet her eyes, and he knows she's thinking the same thing. She would not survive losing him. The funk she would fall into, that pit of depression… it could very well be the thing that killed her, if she lost him.

Perks of being a dragon. Go figure.

Standing up straight, Jordan turns to Scott and answers, "No more than they're used to." Scott nods with a sigh, but then grins when Nixie says, "And if they did, I'll smack them in the back of the head hard enough to make them forget. At this point, I think they all understand that trying to arrest me for assault would be a bad idea. Detrimental to their career, even."

They all grin at her, and then Noah gestures to where they'd found the body and asks, "You guys wanna tell me what happened here?"

Jordan gestures to the body, "Well… he's a hellhound." And then Malia adds, "A dead hellhound." And Jordan feels the chill begin permeating the air. Eyes cutting to Nixie, he then looks over at Lydia, who nods before slipping her arm through Nixie's. The chill faded a bit. Nixie couldn't get too cold without causing harm to Lydia, so that thought process helped a little bit in calming her down.

Noah looks to Malia and says, "Yeah, I got that." But it's Nixie who raises an eyebrow and says, "Really? Because I most certainly do not get it. I mean, and someone correct me if I'm wrong. But I thought we were all under the same impression that you could not kill a hellhound. Like, we just can't do it. Not possible."

And then Malia shrugs and says, "Looks a lot easier than we thought."

Lydia can't help it. She has to let go as Nixie's body goes rigid, her skin going cold as ice before she glows her silver eyes and snarls quietly in Malia's direction. The were-coyote jumps in surprise, but then ducks her head and says, "Right. Sorry. I…" Nixie closes her eyes and sighs before saying, "You still have so much to learn."

She pats Malia on the back as way of apologizing for growling. And then she opens her eyes, and smiles when she sees Jordan standing in front of her. Neither of them miss Noah asking Scott if he had anything to add to all of this, or that Scott said that he didn't think it was just any bullet. And Jordan didn't miss how Nixie's eye twitched ever so slightly at Scott's comment. So there was probably definitely something more to the 'bullet' than they were saying right now.

But that could wait. Jordan let his heat wrap around Nixie like a blanket, and then smiled when she did the same with her cold to him. Shrugging, she then says, "Promise not to die." "I will if you will." "Done." "Good."

And then he glances back down at the body and says, "And yeah… I hope that wasn't just any ordinary bullet." Nixie nods in agreement, and then nods again when Noah says that's all he needs from them. Squeezing Jordan's arm, she says, "I'll see you later. Be safe." "You too. Love you." "Love you."

* * *

In the car later, pulling up at Scott's house, they all sit there quietly for a moment in Malia's car.

Then Lydia finally asks, "Why didn't you say anything?" Scott leans forward to look at her, and then asks, "Why didn't you say anything?" Nixie glances between the two of them, and then says, "Yeah… why didn't either the alpha, or our resident genius, say anything?" Malia nods in agreement, but then jumps and looks at all three of them before asking, "Wait, was I supposed to say something?"

Scott sighs, and then says, "None of us said anything, because of Argent. And none of us are going to say anything, until we talk to him. Everybody good with that?" Malia nods immediately, and then Lydia answers, "As long as we talk to Argent soon. Like, immediately would be preferable." Malia asks, "Premonition?" "Yeah. The one with the screaming and the people killing each other."

Then Lydia glances back at Nixie and says, "Which probably means you should be the one to call him." "Yeah, about that. I tried, and he didn't answer. Which, is warrant enough for a head-slap on its own. But I'm also texting him, and he's not responding to that either. So, I would suggest we all bombard him until we get some answers."

Then she looks over at Scott and says, "And I get that the crest on the bullet stands for Argent. But I'm almost positive that this wasn't Chris. Not only has he not been here for the whole summer, so how would he even have known about the hellhound? But also… he would've told us if he was here, and if he was hunting something. So it's not him."

Scott nods, and then sighs, "Which just begs the question of who it is, and why they have a bullet with his crest on it." "Exactly."

Scott then hops out of the vehicle, and Malia takes Lydia and Nixie to Lydia's house after that. Lydia glances back at Nixie, clearly saying that Nixie needed to come with her. So she climbs out too and says, "I'm just gonna fly home from here, Malia. Lydia and I need to go over some things so if a supervisor calls either of us again, we'll have our stories straight."

Malia buys that, and then as soon as she's gone, Lydia asks, "So, what's up with you and Deaton? What happened?" Nixie nods, and as they hurry inside, she plops down on Lydia's bed and says, "I'm not sure yet. It might be nothing. But…"

She sighs, and then goes into explaining what's been going on for the past month. And at first Lydia grins, because even Nixie is willing to admit that it seems like a silly thing to be rather concerned about. But it was strange. And they were supernatural creatures. And it was getting out of hand. And she was a dragon; that they still knew very little about.

Lydia ponders all of it for a moment, and then asks, "Have you called Veronica?" Nixie lifts her head and asks, "Grams? Why would I call Jordan's grandma about this?" "Because she's the one who helped us figure out that dragons are tested, and that's why your mom snapped in the first place. Because she's the druid that has a more extensive book collection on dragons, and she's had the time to actually read most of them. And because in the realm of things concerning dragons, and in understanding all that goes on with you, we need all the help we can get. Our resources are limited enough as it is."

Nixie nods after a moment, and then says, "I'll call her later. Its six here, which means it's nine where they are. She's probably already working. I'll give it until its noon for them." Lydia nods, and then asks, "In the meantime, what can I do?" "I don't think there's anything for anyone to do. Not until Deaton can give me a more solid answer about what's going on. Until then… I just try to keep a bit more self-control about myself."

Lydia can't help smirking, to which Nixie says, "Oh, shut up." "I didn't say anything. Although, I will say this. I don't really think Jordan minds it that much." "Of course he does." "No, I don't think so. I saw the way he used to look at you before you two were even dating. Trust me. He doesn't mind." Nixie laughs and says, "Fine. But what does it say about me, that I mind." "That Jordan should up his game." "Oh my God! Lydia!" "We need to go talk to him anyway. I can let it slip so he knows if you…"

And then Lydia snaps her hands over her ears when Nixie says, "My husband is the hottest man alive. And believe me when I tell you… he knows exactly what he's doing. All the time. Every time. With every single part of…" "Oh my God! Shut up!"

* * *

As Jordan slides his keycard through the reader of the cell door, the beeping sound that follows ringing in the air, he asks, "Is that it? The sound you heard?" Lydia shakes her head and says sadly, "No, it's something else." Jordan nods and ushers both her and Nixie back towards the front as he says, "It could be any kind of public facility. A hospital, a fire station, or…"

Nixie watches a knowing look come over Lydia's face, and then pinches the bridge of her nose when Lydia says dismally, "Or a mental institution." Jordan puts a hand on Nixie's shoulder comfortingly, to which she smiles gently, but then nods and affirms, "Eichen House." Jordan sighs, "The card readers on the doors?"

Lydia nods, "It's the closed unit." Turning her eyes to Nixie, she asks, "Is there any chance your mom is still down there?" Shaking her head, Nixie says, "Not unless they moved her in the last week or so. Noah had her moved back upstairs, and that's where she's been every time I've seen her since." Lydia sighs in relief, "At least that's a positive."

Nixie smiles at that, but then looks to Jordan when he says, "I hate to break it to you guys, but neither of you are going back into the closed unit of Eichen." Lydia gives him a look, "What if there's a connection to the dead hellhound?" Nixie nods, but can't really argue when Jordan asks in return, "What if you go there again and someone tries to kill you? Which, by the way, happens every time you go in there!"

Of course, Nixie does throw open her hands and say, "That's what I'm there for." Jordan gives her a look and says, "You're not going either." "Why not? I go to Eichen all the time!" "To see your mother. Who is no longer in the closed unit." Lydia grits her teeth and says, "It's our only lead." Shaking his head, he says, "I'm not letting either of you near that unit. Not if I can help it."

Huffing, Lydia says, "Then come with us." "Or, I'll do you one better. I'll go alone." Nixie's head snaps around to look at him at that, to which he cuts off whatever comment she'd been about to make. "Nixie, don't. I've never nearly died in the closed unit. And I'm a cop. I'll get in, see if anything strange has been going on, and then I'll come back and report to you. This'll take me an hour, tops."

Slumping her shoulders, Nixie says, "Why would you say that? You just jinxed yourself. Now it'll take you all day." Jordan grins slightly, and then kisses her forehead before saying, "I'll let you know what I find. I promise. Just, please trust me." "I trust you! It's Eichen House that I'm a bit wary of."

But she lets him go, with strict instructions to keep her informed of everything that happens while he's there. And to keep an eye on the all the doctors there, particularly any that happen to come within a five-foot radius of him. Nixie had never felt the need to really be wary of all the doctors there. Only a few really. But… it was Eichen. She didn't really trust anything about the place. Especially after what had been allowed to happen to Lydia while she'd been there.

When Nixie mentions the five-foot radius, Jordan chuckles while shaking his head. Kissing her firmly on the cheek, he says, "I will keep one eye on them at all times. I promise." Nodding, she kisses his cheek too, and then takes in a deep breath, as though soaking all of him in for a while.

She wanted him. Again. Here and now, in the sheriff's station. Even as he was about to go on what was definitely considered a dangerous mission. Geez, she needed to get a grip.

After he's gone, as she and Lydia load back into the car, Nixie's phone rings. "Yeah, Scott? You're on speaker with me and Lydia. What's up?" " _We don't think Argent's actually left Beacon Hills… or been gone for the summer. We think… we think he's back in business."_ Frowning, Nixie asks, "What do you mean?" _"He's got guns, Nixie. Which, I know, wouldn't be strange. Except he has a lot of guns. A lot of them with price tags. He also has several different types of ammunition, more than he would actually have a use for. And he…"_

Scott pauses, and then says, _"He has bows. Like… like the bows and arrows that Alison used to use."_

There's a lengthy pause after that, and then Lydia asks, "So… why is Argent suddenly back in business?" _"We don't know. Malia and I are trying to crack the password on his computer, but no luck so far."_ Lydia nods, "What have you tried so far?"

When Malia rattles off the list of words she's already tried, Nixie and Lydia just look at each other. Argent wasn't an overly complicated man. Not by any means. But still… his password wasn't going to be something as obvious and simple as 'Guns'.

Nixie ponders that for a moment, and then nods before asking, "Did you try 'Alison'?" Scott types it in, and then sighs, " _Yeah. That was it. Why didn't I think of that?_ " Nixie shrugs, "Most of the time, remembering Alison is actually pretty hard for Chris. That's why. But if he's able enough to be purchasing bows and arrows again, then he's able enough to use her name as a password. If it wasn't that, I would've told you to try her birthday." " _Thanks Nix. We'll let you know if we find something._ " "Sooner the better." _"On it."_

After Nixie hangs up, Lydia can't help laughing when Nixie's phone immediately goes off again. Nixie grins, but answers all the same. "Yeah Mase? What's up?" "How busy are you?" "Mason, you know that's not how this works. First you tell me what you need, and then based on priority, I tell you when I can get to you. So, what do you need?"

Mason takes a moment to ponder how to word it, and then simply says, "Brett's being a dick. And I mean, I know I usually think he's hot and everything. But… I think in some way, he's trying to help Liam. But it's not working." Nixie sighs as she starts pulling off her button-up shirt and the tank top she'd been wearing underneath. She hands the tank top over to Lydia, who takes it and nods that she'll return it later. Nixie keeps the button-up so she can have something to slip on when she gets to them. Stepping out of Lydia's car again, she then says to Mason, "Yeah, Brett's form of helping has always been a rather confusing one to me. You're at school, right?" "Yeah. On the lacrosse field." "Great. I'll be there in just a bit. Just try to make sure Liam doesn't do something stupid." "Yeah. Like break Brett's arm… or leg… or neck."

And then Mason has to laugh when Nixie says, "Well, I wouldn't exactly consider that stupid. Just the consequences of purposefully pissing off a werewolf with IED. But, you call it whatever you want."

* * *

As Jordan walks with Dr. Fenris, who is the head doctor for the closed unit, the man glances at the photos of the now dead hellhound that had been found in the woods. And Jordan isn't sure whether he feels relieved, or more nervous, when Fenris says, "Course I know him. It's Halwyn."

Handing the photos back to Jordan, he continues, "He almost killed me… and burned an orderly to death in the process." As the man swipes his access card at the first door, Jordan asks, "He was a patient?" Which, let's face it, wouldn't have been the strangest thing to hear in this town.

But what was surprising, was that Fenris responded with, "Until he checked out." Raising an eyebrow, Jordan asks, "Checked out? You can do that?" Fenris just gives Jordan a look that implies he still had a lot to learn, and then says, "When you build the place, you can. Halwyn built it in 1912, so he'd always have a room."

Jordan blinks in confusion, "1912? That would make him over one-hundred years old." Fenris nods, "No one knew his actual age." "And he's been here the whole time?" Nodding again, Fenris explains, "In a state of hibernation. In case it got out."

Ah… and that was definitely something they needed to know about. Jordan remembers rather clearly, Nixie explaining to him about the 'it' that Hawlyn had kept referring to. He'd mentioned it during the fight with Liam. That 'it' had gotten out. That 'it' must be stopped. And that nothing else mattered.

Looking to Fenris again, he asks, "It? What's it?" But the doctor simply turns to him and replies, "I never asked."

Without waiting for any more questions, Fenris reaches over for the light switches so they can see on their way in. But upon flipping them… nothing happens. There's a certain electrical buzz that enters the air, like the power was trying to reach the lights. But a connection was broken somewhere… because nothing happened.

And in any other town, when you were presented with a short in the electrical system of such an old building… it might not seem that strange. But in Beacon Hills?

Fenris confirms Jordan's suspicions when he says, "That's odd." He reaches for his keycard, but before he can swipe it, the doctor feels a sense of dread sweep through the air around him. Looking up and around him, as though searching for the source of that fear, he says, "Something's wrong."

And that's when Jordan hears it. A woman's soft plea for help. It was so faint at first, that it was amazing even he heard it. But then it happened again, and in a louder volume.

Jordan was already in a hurry to step inside. Whoever was in there needed help. And even if a hellhound could somehow be killed now… he was still one of the most indestructible supernatural creatures that they knew about. He had to help. So he turns to Fenris, who is still standing at the door in fright. "What are you waiting for? Hurry!"

But then the woman says, "There's something in here." And that's all Fenris needs to hear apparently. Backing up a step, he says, "I'm locking this unit down." Jordan shakes his head, "You need to open the gate." "If you think I'm opening this up, then you belong in there!"

And honestly, that would've been the end of it. Jordan could've simply gotten on the radio with Noah. Could've told him what he'd heard, and then the sheriff of Beacon Hills could've come down and ordered the door open. That would've been the simpler, and less messy way.

But then, after the first female voice was done asking for help, a second one said, "Please. If someone's there, please get us out of here."

Naomi Bennett.

Jordan has no idea why Naomi would be in the closed unit at this point. She'd been moved upstairs. There was no reason she should be down here. But Jordan knew it was her. Nixie's mother was in the closed unit. With other supernatural creatures. In a place where something bad was clearly happening, or about to happen.

Doing this cleanly flew out the window after that. Jordan gripped Fenris' arm tightly in his hand, jerking the doctor back towards the door. Glowing his fiery eyes at the man, Jordan orders in a growl, "Open the gate."

The doctor stares at him in surprise for a moment, but knows not to push back against another hellhound at this point. He slides his card against the lock, and allows the deputy to step inside.

Of course, as soon as Jordan is beyond the doorway, Fenris grabs it and slams it shut behind him. Jordan spins around to see him for the briefest of moments, before the doctor sprints away, back up the hall. Now, he was supposedly trapped down here with everyone else, and with whatever terrible creature might be here.

It doesn't matter though. Jordan knows that, if need be, he can burn through the gate at the end of the hall to get out. That wasn't his concern. Right now, the thing worrying him, was finding Naomi, and getting her the hell out of here.

It was also putting his patience to the test, trying to move with the practiced caution that came with his training as a cop. Every room and corner had to be checked first, before he could continue on. Otherwise, whatever was down here might end up behind him, and what good would he be to Naomi then.

As he rounds the next corner, flashlight shining his way down the dimly lit corridor, Jordan says aloud, "This is Deputy Parrish with the Beacon Hills Sheriff's Department. Is anybody in here?" Someone's faint voice replies, "It's in here." And immediately after that, coming from the same room, Jordan hears Naomi's voice ask in surprise, "Jordan?"

Stepping up to the door, Jordan takes note of the water on the ground, having leaked from inside the room into the hallway. Not a good sign. For the time being, given that he can still hear the electricity crackling nearby, he avoids stepping in the water where he can. Gun drawn, hand on the knob, he glances up and down the hall one last time, to make sure he's still alone. And then he shoves the door open wide, sweeping the room quickly for anyone who might be the enemy.

But if anyone was the enemy… well, there was nothing they could do to him. All of them were incapacitated. Either lying in tubs of water, or scattered on the ground of what looked to be a group showering room. Water was everywhere, and as Jordan looks further into the room, he can see the woman who was only faintly able to talk, a cut off and exposed electrical wire right next to her. And every time it sparked with life, she twitched and jerked in silent agony.

It was on the other side of the room where he found Naomi. In the only dry area left in the room, she was in a chair, her arms and legs tied down to it, and more rope wrapped around her torso, securing her to the back of the chair. A bandana had also been tied around her face, clearly meant to be wedged in her mouth to keep her from talking. But Naomi had apparently managed to work that restraint loose.

Jordan wants nothing more than to get her out of here. But when he steps forward, he realizes that he can't get to her. She was in a dry spot, but she was surrounded by three feet of water in any direction. Sure, he could try to jump it. But odds were he wouldn't make it over to her without also falling back into the water anyway.

Nixie could get her. With her wings, Nixie could hover, grab Naomi, and then get her out of here.

With that in mind, Jordan says, "Ms. Bennett, don't worry. I'm gonna call your daughter, and we're gonna get you out of here." Naomi opens her mouth to speak, but then the woman who was still able to talk on the ground lifts her head. Weakly, she says, "There's something in here. Help me."

Moving closer to her, Jordan tries to see if he can help her. But she's literally right on top of the electrical cord. Touching her would shock him for sure. And touching it could potentially kill one or both of them. Jordan would like to think he could survive a little electricity… but, given recent events…

Nixie would definitely kill him if he tried without first talking to her right now.

The woman's eyes widen as she looks past him into the room, and then she says, "It's here." Shaking his head, Jordan asks, "What's here?"

As footsteps sound from up the hall, approaching at a normal and calm rate of speed, the woman on the ground begins trying to turn over and stand herself upright. Fear entered her eyes that hadn't been there before. And considering she was in a room full of electrified people, being electrocuted herself… whatever was coming must be terrifying.

Jordan turns his attention back to Naomi, but before he can speak, she says, "Get out, Jordan. Go now." Frowning in confusion, he's about to ask what she's talking about. But that's when Fenris, having obtained some rubber gloves that went halfway up his arms, comes walking into the room. Standing up straight, Jordan points to the woman on the ground and says, "We have to get her out. Both of them." And then he points to Naomi and asks, "And what the hell is she even doing down here? She was transferred."

Fenris, partially ignoring the deputy, responds simply, "I transferred her back." Jordan blinks in confusion, "Why?!" Fenris grabs the electrical cord, making a show of moving it away from the pained woman on the ground. But then he turns to Jordan and says, "Because she's the mother of a dragon." And as he takes a step closer to Jordan, he adds, "And I'm not taking any of them out of here. Why would I? I put them here."

And with that, before Jordan can react, Fenris lifts up the wire, and shoves it against his chest. Jordan groans in pain as hundreds of volts course through his body in a matter of seconds. And though he tries to fight it, his eyes finally roll back inside his head, and he goes unconscious.

As Fenris moves to hit him again, Naomi screams, "NO! YOU LEAVE HIM ALONE!" Fenris turns to look at her, then down at the deputy. Back to Naomi, he says, "You should be grateful you know. If you were the mother of any other creature, you'd be on the floor with the rest of them." Glaring at the man, Naomi responds, "I am grateful. Grateful that when my daughter finds out what you've done, and what kind of man you really are… she is going to sweep through this place like an angel of death."

Glancing at Jordan, who is twitching slightly on the ground, Naomi adds, "You should've left her mate alone. Now there will be absolutely no mercy left when she comes." Fenris glares and asks, "How do you know she will even show up?"

"Dr. Fenris, haven't you learned anything during your time in Beacon Hills? My baby girl, and her friends, always show up."

* * *

As Liam storms away off the field, Brett can't help grinning as he goes. It was a bit too much fun messing with Liam and his disorder of IED.

Of course, he wouldn't have kept on grinning if he'd seen Nixie's hand swinging up towards the back of his head.

Flinching and then rubbing his now sore skull, he turns to look at her. "Ow! I'm trying to help him!" Nixie just raises an eyebrow, and Brett has the sense to look down sheepishly before saying, "Look… I'm sorry. But… simply avoiding all his anger isn't going to help him. He has to be able to control it."

Nixie rolls her eyes and says, "Liam can control his anger. He's much better than he used to be. Now, instead of simply blowing up at everyone and everything around him, he targets his anger and aggression so it's more constructive."

Pointing a stern finger at his chest, she adds, "And he depends on his friends to help him continue learning to target it. He doesn't expect his friends, those who are supposed to be supporting him, to keep trying to piss him off and embarrass him. So you want to help Liam? You really want to help? Then back the fuck off."

Brett stares at Nixie for a moment in surprise. He hadn't ever actually been on the receiving end of her anger. At least, not to the point where she was so mad, she started cursing at him like she meant it. Nixie didn't have a purely clean mouth by any means… but there were certain words she only used when her own stress or anger levels were about to reach its peak. And that 'f' word… yeah, that was one of them.

Sighing again, he looks down at the finger still poking harshly at his chest. Taking her hand in his, he lifts it to his lips for a kiss, and then says, "I'm sorry. Satomi's method of learning control for us is all about facing those things that scare us most, or that cause us to have the least amount of control. We confront them, force ourselves to come face to face with them, and eventually learn to control our reactions in spite of them. And for Liam, that's his anger."

Nixie stares at him for another moment or two, and then offers him a small smile. "And you figured, since Satomi's mantra is what's working for Liam to regain control once lost, maybe her method of learning control as a whole might be helpful." Brett nods, and then smiles when Nixie concedes, "I can respect that logic. But you need to find better ways to have Liam confront his anger issues. Trying to sort it out on the lacrosse field, in front of everyone else, is not the way to start. Got me?" "Yes ma'am." "Good. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to find my boy and make sure he's alright."

She glances at her hand, which Brett is still holding. He chuckles and lets it go, and then can't help his beaming smile when Nixie says, "And people say chivalry is dead. But you sir, make it look like a fine art."

Before she leaves though, she glances at Corey, who looks rather worn and beaten himself. Nixie turns her gaze back to Brett, raising an eyebrow. And then she smiles when Brett concedes, "And I'll ease up on the chameleon too." "Aw, Brett. You're like a real-life knight in shining armor."

She leaves his laughter behind to go and find Liam. The fact that it was the boys' locker room had never bothered her before, and she wasn't about to let it now.

Of course, she was going to let it bother her slightly, that Liam had proceeded to punch and wail on the locker he'd stopped to stand in front of. And not just a single punch. If it had been, the dent that would've been created might've been something Nixie could've fixed before anyone noticed. But this…

The locker door was hanging on by only one hinge, and looked ready to collapse into the floor any second. Yeah, Nixie wasn't about to try and do anything with that. The school was simply going to have to replace it.

Sighing, Nixie steps inside, "Liam." He turns to look at her, and then sighs himself and says, "I know. God, I know! I'm sorry! I… I just…" "Hey, Liam. Calm down."

Plopping down on the bench, he breathes out in relief when Nixie settles behind him and wraps him in a hug. Nixie made relaxing, and feeling safe, easier for everyone that was hers. She'd always made it easier for him to stay in control.

It was just another part of why he was so scared of when they would finally leave Beacon Hills. Even if they were all planning to come back. Even if Nixie would be back as often as every other week, so she could still see Jordan and the rest of them. What would happen while she was gone? Would he lose it? Would he hurt somebody?

Nixie squeezes him tighter, as though sensing his thoughts. Gently, she says, "Liam, you're my boy. Do you know what that means?" Nodding, he says, "You'd die for me." "Yes, but that's not all." When she sits up, he turns so he can see her. She smiles gently at him, and then says, "Liam, being my boy does mean I would die for you. But it also means that every part of your well-being matters to me. If anything is wrong with you, from something as big as you nearly dying, to something as small as you having a paper cut… these things will always worry me. I want you fine. I want you healthy. I want you to be the absolute best that you can possibly be."

Putting a hand on his chest, over his heart, she continues. "And I know that everything in here… it's all good. Just because you get a little angry sometimes, it doesn't change that. We all get angry sometimes. We all get scared." Liam glances at the locker he just destroyed, but Nixie grips his chin and turns him back to face her.

"Liam, I know that because of the IED, this is harder for you. And I know… I know part of why you're so anxious about everyone leaving, is because you think we give you control." Liam nods, and then tilts his head when Nixie says, "Liam, we don't 'give' you control. We simply bring you back into focus. We remind you of why it's so important to keep a grip. We remind you with our words, and with the way we speak. It's in our eyes, in our touch… it's in everything we do around you and for you."

She hugs him again, and then says, "So remember your mantra. Remember us. And remember that even though we're off studying to become cops, vets, nurses… or in Lydia's case, further geniuses." Liam laughs, and then lets Nixie finish. "Liam… just don't forget… we're always with you. We're always on your side. And you are always going to be important to us. If you can keep that thought in mind, and in your heart… you can do this."

They sit there in silence for a while, until Liam finally says softly, "Scott's right. You do always know what to say." "Yeah. I'm writing a book." "I'd love a copy." "I'll give you a signed first edition once it's published. 'The Fantastically Witty Sayings of Nixie Parrish'. I'm expecting it to be a top seller."

Liam chuckles, and then turns to her again. Leaning over, he kisses the top of her head and says, "Thank you. And… I'll keep all of that in mind. I really will." Nixie raises an eyebrow, "Good... but I'm sensing there's a 'but' coming after that." Sighing, Liam says, "I just… feel like I should be so much better at all of this. I mean, no one else has this much trouble staying in control, except for me."

He looks up in surprise when Nixie scoffs at that. Laughing, she then says, "Liam… you're one of the new werewolves. Yes, you've been at this a couple years now. And yes, Scott was able to get a pretty good grip on his abilities in his first year of all this. But Liam… everyone is different. Everyone has their own pace that they need to work at. And everyone has a system of their own that will need perfecting, before it can be said that you have a complete handle on this."

Shrugging, she says, "In Scott's first year, I can't even begin to tell you how much trouble it was to keep him a secret. We had to try a lot of things, to figure out what would help him stay in control. Not to mention we had a psychotic Peter on our ass, and Derek was not the loveable and huggable man back then that he is now."

Liam raises an eyebrow, but chuckles when Nixie says, "Don't argue with me. Point is, this is not easy for anyone to begin with. And depending on each person, and what they have in their own lives to deal with and work with… that's what will determine how long it takes to gain control."

Nixie puts an arm around his shoulders and says, "You have IED, Liam. As a human, that was hard to deal with. As a werewolf, even more so. So the fact that you, a werewolf only two years into this supernatural life, have managed to make it this long without killing anyone… it's impressive. Not to mention that, when you were a human, you used to literally explode. I haven't forgotten what you did to your old coach's car when you got kicked off the team."

Liam ducks his head at that, but perks up again when Nixie says, "But here you are, a werewolf, and I think it can be safely said that, the worst you've done so far, is tear this door to shreds." Liam grins at that, and then lets out a burst of laughter when Nixie says, "Well… and you went streaking through town butt-naked last year. Not exactly your finest moment. But you see! It could've been so much worse."

Grinning at him, she finishes with, "You are doing great, Liam. More than you give yourself credit for. So stop being so hard on yourself. Just… remember your mantra, target your anger, and if all else fails, you call me. For anything. Understand?"

He kisses the side of her head again and says, "Yes ma'am." "Excellent. And just so you know, this entire conversation can be found on page three-hundred-fifty-nine in my book." "I'll bookmark it."

She's laughing when she feels her phone start buzzing in her pocket. Pulling it out and seeing the text from Scott, telling her they need to meet about Chris, she says, "Alas, duty calls. You gonna be okay now?" "Yeah." She stands up at that, and then bends down to press a kiss to Liam's own forehead. Smiling gently, she says, "I'm proud of you, Liam. Don't ever forget that either." And with a final nod, she heads out the door.

Pressing seven on her speed dial, she waits for Scott to pick up, and then says, "Alright, lay it on me. What sort of trouble has Chris gotten himself into? And on a side note, don't let me forget to smack him in the head when I ask him why the hell he didn't inform me about it in the first place. And I swear, if you start laughing at me, I'm gonna hit you in the head too. Because…"

Scott chuckles before saying, "You're serious. I know. Just get to the clinic. We're leaving in five." "Aye, aye Captain."

* * *

"So… how certain are we that he's on his own?" Scott glances at her, and then back to where Chris is standing. Currently, there are five men dressed in army uniforms standing around him, all five with a new gun that Chris was showing them as an option for purchase.

Yes, Chris was back in the business of selling guns. To dangerous people. And he hadn't told her. If the man wasn't already expecting to be served the head slap of the century, someone was definitely going to have to brace him. What was she going to have to do to make it finally stick with everyone that they were always supposed to call her, about everything and anything, no matter what?! Drill it into their heads?!

Nixie thinks back to Lydia in Eichen House… literally having a hole drilled into her head. So no, that would never be happening. It didn't matter how long a person waited, there was no amount of time that could be set on when that phrase would ever be alright to use again. So that particular saying would forever be chucked out the window, because for their pack, it would always be too soon.

Malia, on Scott's other side, says, "He's the only one not in green." Nixie shrugs, "Yeah… except I don't dislike the guy that's standing closest to Chris' left." Malia takes note of that person, and then says, "Come on. We need to get down there." Scott nods, "Yeah. They're loading their guns. With actual ammo now. Not a good sign."

Nixie would've argued… except that even if Chris wasn't completely alone, it was still two against four. And she didn't particularly like those odds. So she followed Scott and Malia down to where this supposed 'deal' was taking place.

No sooner had they gotten there, Chris talking about always having a backup plan, even with a gun pointed in his face… then Malia takes out the one guy that Nixie had said she didn't mind. Throwing up her hands, Nixie asks, "Malia? What the hell?"

Malia gives her a confused look, but then they all turn to Chris when he asks, "What the hell are you guys doing here?" Scott simply replies, "We're your backup." Chris gives them all a look, and then specifically to Nixie, he says, "I had a guy on the inside."

Malia scoffs, "Who?" Nixie rolls her eyes and says, "You're standing on him, you big dummy." She glances down, and then says, "Oh. I… misunderstood." "You think?"

The man directly in front of Chris, apparently in charge of this tiny band of misfit warriors, turns his gun back to pointing at Chris. And Chris… well, now that Nixie was here, he sighs sadly and says, "That was a mistake."

The army man doesn't particularly understand at first… until he sees the frost beginning to coat the barrel of his gun. The entire area around them, in fact, has suddenly started experiencing a drastic drop in temperature. Chris glances over at Nixie, who has trained her glaring eyes on the gun that was pointed at him. "Nix…"

She turns her eyes to him, her gaze softening slightly. She was still miffed that he was doing… well, whatever he was doing without telling her about any of it. But she was still a hell of a lot more pissed off at the guys with the guns right now. Nodding to her, he says, "They'll be fine. Get me when I say."

Scott and Malia glance at each other in confusion, but then Chris hits a button on his keys and shouts, "Get down!"

The other two scatter, and Chris turns to head in the direction of cover. And if he'd been left on his own, at his own human speed… well, he might've made it, and he might not have. He's just happy he didn't have to wait and find out. Nixie, growing faster every single day, was at his side in a split second, and then practically picked him up and carried him to hide behind some of the larger crates.

Grinning down at her as her blue scales disappear back into her skin, he says, "Nice to see you." "Yeah, yeah. You won't think so after I'm done whacking you upside the head. Repeatedly. Maybe with a bat."

They both duck down as the gunfire ricochets a little too close for comfort in their direction. Chris leans around Nixie to see his inside man on the ground still… and well within the line of fire. Looking up at Malia, who has taken up refuge behind one of the stone columns, Chris nods towards his man, a clear sign that he wanted her to get him.

Malia takes one look at where he is, and at the barrage of bullets that are still coming their way. Giving them a look as though they had lost their minds, she shakes her head and returns to being fully behind the post.

Nixie rolls her eyes and says, "I'll do it." Malia gives Nixie a look like she's gone even more insane, and then huffs before looking at Scott.

Nixie can't help but notice the way they're communicating now. No words, only a simple nod of Scott's head, which indicated what he wanted her to do. And in Malia's eyes, Nixie could tell that she knew she still had a choice. Scott wasn't ordering her to save the man. He wanted her to, but he wasn't about to make her. Same as when he hadn't forced her to remain with them now that a new crisis had risen in Beacon Hills.

Malia simply didn't want to disappoint him. So with a huff of disbelief, she nods back at Scott, and waits for the next break in the volley of bullets. As soon as the guns go empty and need reloading, Scott nods for her to act, and Malia sprints to grab the man, hauling him back to safety with her.

Scott then turns back to Nixie, who raises an eyebrow at him in amusement. He simply shrugs in return, and then they both look at Chris. The man glances overtop of his crate, and then says, "Scott and Nixie go behind on the right. Malia the left."

And with that, they hurry off to dispatch of the motley crew of weekend warriors. Scott simply throws one back into a nearby wall. Nixie pulls out a dagger from her belt and slices into one man's forearm, forcing him to drop his gun. Then she takes his head and slams it down against her knee, effectively knocking him out. Malia grabs the man on the far left, dislocates his knee with a swift kick, and then takes his gun while shoving him the rest of the way to the ground.

All in all… they've had far more difficult takedowns. Of course, it would've been considered smoother, if the last man standing hadn't then lifted his gun to point directly at Malia.

The dagger that flew through the air landed in the dead center of the back of his palm, impaling all the way through the other side. Screaming out in pain, he then dropped his own gun, turning to see who the hell had done that.

Nixie is twirling another dagger in her left hand, and the man's eyes widen when she says, "Yeah, I don't like it when people point guns at my people. I become highly upset, which then becomes bad for everyone else's health and well-being. So… yeah, let's not do that anymore."

Chris just shakes his head at her, and then levels his own pistol at the man's head and demands, "Who are the guns for?"

Even with a dagger sticking out of his one hand though… he still managed to grab a smoke grenade in his other. Pulling the pin, he dropped it on the ground and then hurriedly began sprinting in the direction of the vehicles.

Nixie would've gone after him. She really would've. But… well, everyone was entirely too close to the grenade. But at least Scott and Malia were fast enough to get out of the way. Chris, on the other hand…

She's in front of him, wrapping him in a cocoon of protection with her wings, before he can even blink. Grinning down at her, he then asks, "Aren't you supposed to be at college?" "Don't even start with me. You have some serious explaining to do." "Fine. But you are supposed to be at college." "Yes. But a certain banshee said we couldn't leave yet. So, here we are. Funny how that works."

As soon as she feels the grenade go off, and the smoke die down a little bit, she folds her wings back into her back. Shaking her head at Chris, she then reaches up and… yes, she does smack him in the back of the head. Not as hard as she may have described earlier… but she does smack him.

Chris' response is to kiss the top of her head before saying, "I had everything under control." Nixie looks around her, raising an eyebrow that clearly says she disagrees with that assessment. But Malia beats her to it, so Nixie just points over in agreement when Malia says sarcastically, "Clearly."

Chris rolls his eyes, and then asks, "How'd you find me?" And then Malia points to Scott, "He did it." Scott glances back at her sharply, though he appears to be more amused then really offended at being thrown under the bus. Then he looks back to Chris, "You left your computer in the bunker." Raising an eyebrow, Chris asks, "And the password?"

To which Scott points at Nixie, who shrugs and says, "One of my many talents. Knowing all the passwords you people might ever use to try and protect electronic devices." Chuckling, Chris says, "I guess I need a new one then." "Why? That does you no good. I'd just figure it out again. See? Pointless. Weren't you listening?"

She turns to Scott and says, "I mean really, if he's not going to pay attention, he could at least remember that I'm part evil-genius." Scott raises an eyebrow, "And the other part?" "Like Mary Poppins. 'Practically perfect in every way'."

Scott would've tried harder not to laugh… except that both Chris and Malia couldn't have helped it if they tried. Nixie grins at her alpha, and then shrugs, "I have no idea what they think is so funny. I'm wonderful enough to be a dragon version of Mary Poppins. She wishes she had wings like mine. All she gets is a silly umbrella with a parrot head on the end."

When they finally manage to calm down, and after they've begun helping Chris reload his truck, he prepares to explain to them what he's been trying to do. But, that's when Nixie's phone goes off. Seeing Lydia's name, she holds up a finger to the others and answers, "Yeah, Lyd? What's…" "It's Jordan! I… I don't know what's happening. I… I heard…"

Scott jerks his attention from Chris to Nixie when he feels the air surrounding them grow even more frigid then it did before. Chris visibly starts shaking from the cold, so Malia lets him put an arm around her for warmth.

Shaking herself out of her sudden fear, Nixie says, "Calm down. Tell me everything." "I'm in the station. I came back to wait on Jordan. He hasn't come back yet. And then… then I heard noise over the static of one of the radios. So… I borrowed it and tried to hear more. And I… I think I heard one of the doctors saying that even Jordan could freeze alive. Nixie… he talked about killing them… killing all of them."

Nixie pauses again, taking that in. Then she asks, "You still at the station?" "Yeah." "I'm heading to Eichen. Can you meet me there?"

The pause is a clear sign that, though Lydia had been willing to go earlier, she certainly didn't want to go and end up there alone at this point. Gentling her tone, Nixie adds, "You don't have to. I can get him out on my own." "What if he freezes before you get here?"

And in spite of all the worry, Lydia still relaxes when Nixie says tensely, "Jordan is my husband and mate. He's a hellhound that's bound to live forever with a dragon that is constantly making it rain, and freezing the entire area around her. They could try burying him in the center of a glacier, and he'd still be fine. You don't have to go, Lydia. I'll get him."

Another pause, and then Nixie sighs in relief when Lydia says, "I'll meet you there. How long?" "Fifteen. Maybe twenty minutes from here." "See you then."

Hanging up, Nixie takes off her button-up shirt and tosses it to Malia. She glances at Scott for a brief moment, but she doesn't need to explain. He'd already taken the liberty of listening to the rest of her conversation. Nodding, he says, "Call and let me know what happens." "You bet."

And without another word, she's up in the air, and jetting towards Eichen like a bat out of hell. And whatever idiot had decided to try and freeze her husband alive…

Hell was going to have to dig a deeper pit for how very far down Nixie was going to shove his ass.

* * *

As Lydia walks down the dark halls of Eichen, she can't help but begin remembering her time here. How she'd been trapped in her own head. How she'd been hurt. How she'd nearly been killed.

When the door slams shut behind her, locking her in with the rest of the people down here… she very nearly panics. But she keeps on going. If she could just get to Jordan, he could get her back out of here. All she needed to do was get to…

The flashback of Dr. Valack, the hole he drilled into her head, the mask he'd almost forced her to wear… it all comes rushing back in a flood of memories that she'd been trying so hard to forget. Spinning around, Lydia races back for the door, wanting nothing more than to get out and escape this horrible place.

The door is locked though, and no matter how loudly she cries, she already knows no one is coming to get her.

Well… not before Nixie gets here.

That thought is enough to calm her down a bit. And with the slowing of her heartrate, she can hear the sound of a woman begging for help. She can hear Fenris' voice saying that he should kill them all.

She hears Jordan's agonized cries for Fenris to wait, and the gunshot that rings out after. And she can hear the sound of ice forming and solidifying, taking over a space. Being around Nixie so much, it was a particular sound that Lydia could always recognize, unlike all the others that seemed to be foreign until she came face to face with them again.

Jordan was about to die. That is what was going to happen if Lydia didn't do something. And that… that was unacceptable. Nixie would not survive losing Jordan Parrish. And Lydia was not going to just stand here when there was something she could do about it. Nixie had done too much for her in the past… been too patient with her for far too long.

She turns back around, new determination on her face, in her eyes, and in every bone in her body, and she sprints up the halls to find them.

Meanwhile, Jordan had been a tad worried when he'd first been tossed into the room. He had been confident when he'd told Dr. Fenris that there was no cell that could hold him forever. But this room had been designed to hold a hellhound, and to keep him on ice… literally… for years, decades, and centuries if need-be.

But the temperature had ceased dropping for a while now. And yes, the human body is made up of sixty-percent water. A human probably would've frozen alive in here. And maybe even that other hellhound, when he'd been in here, had been forced into a state of hibernation because of how cold it was in here. But for Jordan…

Well, he wasn't going to call it child's play. Yes, it was cold. Yes, it was hard for him to focus on his own heat and fire, and only trying to keep himself warm. And yes, even with being Nixie's mate, he wasn't exactly accustomed to being in such a cold place for this long of a time frame. It had been at least three hours since he'd been locked in here.

But Nixie, even on her best of days, would sometimes send the temperature in their house plummeting down into places that made you think you were in the Arctic. Most people simply didn't notice because he could cancel her out.

He suspects the fact that he'd been electrocuted first, before he was shoved in here, is a part of why it's so hard for him to fight off this cold now. Certainly, the fact that it wasn't Nixie, so there was never any end to the cold, was also a part of why this was so difficult. But he also hadn't had enough time to gather his wits again before being shoved into this foreign and frigid place.

But freeze him alive? There was no way in hell that was happening. His mate was a dragon that could literally breathe out ice, and shoot ice daggers from her hands when she wanted. They were going to have to do so much better than this, if they actually wanted to kill him.

Which is when Fenris brought out the gun, and stepped into the room with a freezing Jordan Parrish. Looking down at the hellhound with… an almost sorry expression, the doctor says, "I can't be afraid anymore."

He levels the gun at Jordan's forehead. He closes his eyes, and turns away, not wanting to see what he's about to do. And Jordan, trembling and crouched on the ground, still would've tried to reach up and shove the gun away if he'd had to.

Luckily, he didn't. And as Lydia's scream echoes in the room, knocking Fenris back into the wall and then onto the ground, Jordan decides he'll never again suggest that anyone walk into this place alone. Not even himself.

* * *

Nixie is beside herself with worry. She'd only just gotten to Eichen, when she heard Lydia's scream pierce through the air around her. And she doesn't even think anyone else in the building saw her as she bulleted in the doors, shot past the front desk, and dove straight down into the lower levels of this God-forsaken place.

The door to the closed unit was locked. But mountain ash held no sway over her as a supernatural creature. And even if it did, she's pretty sure they hadn't been able to replace it after Jordan had burnt it out of the walls. With that in mind, she pulls a wing back out and swings it in front of her, smashing the card reader off and sending the door flying open again.

Lydia is helping Jordan off the floor, trying to hurry him into the hallway so he can begin warming up. That's when Nixie sprints around the corner.

The sight of her husband's face looking so pale, the frost in his hair, the blue of his lips… it made Nixie feel sick. Her hand snapped up to cover her mouth, trying to hide the gasp of horror that wanted to escape from there. Because yes, he looked as though if he'd stayed in there any longer, he might've actually become a human popsicle.

But Jordan was fine. He was alive and moving towards her. And that was what she needed to focus on. Because breaking down and crying right now, over something that hadn't even happened… they so did not have time for that right now.

She couldn't completely hide the look in her eyes though, which is honestly what made it easier for Jordan to push past his pain and try getting to her faster. Every bone ached, and he could feel the ice that had formed on his clothes and skin cracking as he tried to stand straighter, and walk swifter. But he didn't care. Nixie was at the other end of the hall, and even though he could see her taking a breath to steady herself, he'd already seen the fear that had briefly taken over her face. She needed more than to just see that he was fine this time. Even if the dragon was a very visual creature, that would not suffice right now.

As he comes closer though, Nixie backs away. Shaking her head, she says, "No… Jordan, don't…" "Nixie, what are you doing?" At the confused, and almost hurt look on his face, Nixie gestures wildly at him with her hands and says, "You're damn near frozen solid, Jordan. And I'm a blue dragon, who lives my entire life with a core temperature that would have most people shivering every second of the day. You can't be near me right now. I'll make it worse."

But as she continues backing away, Jordan huffs in aggravation. Leaning tiredly against the wall beside him, his body shaking a little from all the exertion, he says, "Nixie, do not make me chase you right now. I can't. Just… get over here." "But…" "Nixie, please."

His voice was gentle, in spite of the pain he had to be in. His eyes, however, made it seem as though he were about to get very angry, if she didn't come to him. Tilting her head in confusion, Nixie says, "I… Jordan, I don't want to hurt you."

His gaze softens a bit, and then he sighs and says, "Nixie… you're cold never hurts me. It ignites the heat within me. It brings it to the surface, even when I'm not trying. You're mine, and I'm yours. We counteract each other, always." Gesturing weakly back at the room he'd been in, he says, "In there, that was foreign. Being yours made it easier to stand while I was there… but my body still knew it wasn't you."

Nixie stares at him for a moment longer, internally debating on whether or not wrapping him in a hug would actually help him or not. But… she supposes the only way to prove his theory, would be to test it.

Jordan can't help chuckling when, not even a whole second later, she was directly in front of him. And as her arms wrapped around his shoulders, one hand sliding up into his hair… he sighs heavily into the curve of her neck.

Nixie let some of her worry settle more into her mind and heart, and felt herself become colder in response. And then she couldn't help smiling when Jordan's body immediately began heating up as a consequence.

In all her life, she doesn't think she's ever been more grateful for her cold nature.

The thing that finally breaks them apart is Lydia giggling. Both turn to look at her, and she simply points at the ground. A huge puddle of water has formed where all the ice and frost had melted off of Jordan's body and clothes. Consequently, his uniform was also drenched now.

But he was warm, and his lips weren't blue anymore, and Nixie thinks he looks sexy as hell, with his clothes clinging to all the muscles that made up his body.

Yes… she was craving him yet again. God, she really needs to figure this out.

Jordan, who had taken to looking down at himself, lifts his gaze to Nixie… only to find her biting her lower lip. Raising an eyebrow, he leans down and kisses directly beneath her ear. Then he whispers, "Really?"

Lydia tilts her head curiously at the blush that suddenly swept over Nixie's face, but she doesn't take the time to question it. She'd been brave enough to come in here, and save Jordan's life. But Eichen house would always be a place of terrible, horrid memories for her. They needed to get out of here. Now.

Nixie though, after giving Jordan a shrug in answer to his question, turns her attention to the room and asks, "Is he still in there? Is he dead? If not, I think I should go fix that." Jordan catches her round the waist, "Nixie…" "Don't 'Nixie' me. I have, literally, never been more serious, about anything in my whole life. He tried to kill you. That means I get to actually kill him."

Lydia puts a hand on her shoulder and says, "I think I knocked sense back into him. Or, at the very least, I knocked him in the head hard enough so he knows better than to ever try this again." Nixie doesn't particularly look like she approves of their opinions on this, but she does gentle her stance when Lydia pleads, "Can we… can we please just go?"

And Lydia can't help smiling when Nixie says, "Of course. And for the record, all you ever have to say is, 'Nixie, I really don't want to be here'. And I will then proceed to jet-packing you away from whatever hell-hole we happen to be in. Well… given that we're not in the sewers, where my wings have very limited movement. But still!"

Lydia can't help laughing at that, and then she and Nixie get on either side of Jordan so they can help him up the hall if he needs it. But honestly, he's fine now.

Evidenced by the way he not only stops them on his own, but he pulls them back when they continue to move past him up the hall. Raising an eyebrow, Nixie asks, "Did you not just hear the speech I made about getting Lydia out of here as fast as possible? You are delaying me from keeping my word. Very uncool, oh husband of mine."

Jordan raises an eyebrow, but then cracks open a door and peeks inside.

He honestly would've rather gotten Naomi himself. There was no telling how pissed off Nixie was going to get if she saw her mother in this state. But… well, he couldn't very well go in without bringing the girls with him. Nixie was, in all likelihood, not going to let him out of her sight for the remainder of the night.

Turning back to them, he looks to Nixie and says, "Keep your promise to Lydia in mind. Okay?" She raises an eyebrow again, but nods that she will. And then Jordan opens the door all the way.

Nixie's first response to seeing her mother, tied up in a chair, the gag secured in her mouth again… is to growl. Loudly. Not so loud that it shook the room, or would even reach the floors above. But anyone on this particular floor of the institution would most definitely have heard her.

Lifting her eyes to Jordan, she says, "Please let me kill him." But Jordan's only response is to look at Lydia, who was still very anxious to leave this place.

Sighing finally, Nixie takes a step into the room cautiously. But when nothing happens, she says, "Water's safe. No more electricity. Jordan, please check the rest for heartbeats."

Naomi's eyes widen slightly when her daughter walks in, dressed in the new outfit that had been fashioned for her out of Alison's jacket. Her eyes also take in, for the first time, every single scar that her daughter has on her body. But questions about that would have to wait for another day. Nixie pulls a dagger out of her belt and swiftly cuts the restraints holding her mother to the chair.

Tearing the gag from her own mouth, Naomi then wraps Nixie up in a fierce hug before saying, "Hello, sweetheart." Nixie sighs and holds her mother in return just as fiercely, "Hey mom."

Lydia was still eager to leave this place… but she didn't mind standing here while Naomi and Nixie had a moment together. Besides, Jordan was still checking for signs of life in the room.

Naomi and Nixie don't let go of each other, until Jordan walks up beside them. Gently, he says, "Four of them are still hanging on. Barely, but they're trying." Nodding, Nixie looks up at her mother. Cupping Naomi's face in her hands, she says, "I know that you wanted to leave this place the right way. And I wanted that for you too. You know that, right?" Naomi nods, and can't find it in her to argue when Nixie says, "But you are leaving. Now. With us. And you are never coming back here again."

Turning to Lydia, Nixie says, "Can you please get her to your car? Jordan and I will be up as soon as possible." She nods, and then smiles and wraps her arms around Naomi as soon as the woman gets to her in the doorway. Sighing, Lydia says, "I am so happy to finally officially meet you." "And I'm happy to finally meet you, Lydia Martin. I've been told all about you. All wonderful things."

And even as they leave, they both laugh when Nixie says from behind them, "Great. Now my mom and my best friend are going to start conspiring behind my back. Next thing you know, there will be surprise birthday parties, facials…" Nixie grins at the sound of two of her favorite people laughing as they walk away. Then she turns back to Jordan, and to the room in general.

Jordan points out the four that are still living, but then catches Nixie's arm when she moves to go to them. Frowning, she says, "Jordan, I…" But he shakes his head and says, "I'm not stopping you. Not yet." Cupping her face in his hands, he says, "You are one person. There are four of them. And I know you are going to try and heal all of them, if you can." Nixie nods, and then sighs when Jordan says, "Pace yourself. Get them well enough so they can walk out of here, and so we can get them somewhere safe. Because if you exert yourself too much, I will stop you from helping all of them."

They stare at each other a moment more, and then Nixie rises up on her tiptoes to place a gentle kiss to his lips. Nodding, she says, "I will only take as much as they need me to so they can move again. After that… well, we'll figure it out later."

And it is, mostly, just pain that they need taken from them. One in the corner has a few burns on his back, but Nixie doesn't try to take those injuries. For one, these weren't her people. Well… yet. And though she wasn't feeling any negative vibes or aura right now… she wasn't about to trust that completely in this place.

And for another… well, Nixie can feel Jordan's eyes on her. The second he thought she'd taken too much, he was going to stop her. So if she wanted to get them all out, she definitely had to pace herself.

After she gets all four standing, albeit weakly, on their own feet; Nixie turns to Jordan and asks, "Our house?" Jordan nods, but then says, "But they can't stay there forever. We don't have enough room. And with my family still coming down… they're going to need a better place to hide."

Nixie nods, and then says, "I… kind of already have a thought on that point. But we can talk about that later. When we're not still standing in this God-forsaken place." Jordan raises an eyebrow, but doesn't argue with her on that point. Looking back at the other four, three women and one man, he says, "Promise that we can trust you. Promise you are not, for any reason, going to try and hurt someone in this pack. And promise that wherever we put you, you will stay there until we can get this all sorted out."

All four nod willingly, and then Jordan turns back to Nixie. Kissing her temple, he says, "Come on. Let's get them out of here." "Amen to that."

* * *

At Scott's house later on, standing in the kitchen, Scott can't believe what Lydia's telling them. "So… he killed every supernatural in the closed unit? All of them?" Lydia is about to say yes… when Nixie and Jordan walk in.

Jordan was most certainly right about one thing. Nixie had no intention of letting him out of her sight for the remainder of the night. He suspects he'll be lucky if he's allowed to leave for work in the morning.

That will probably require some persuasion on his part. But Lydia was definitely correct about the fact that he didn't mind how much 'persuading' Nixie might need from him. He loved persuading her.

Raising an eyebrow at the sudden bit of mischief resting in her husband's eyes, Nixie then turns back to Lydia. Lifting a finger to stop her from saying 'yes', she edits, "He didn't manage to kill all of them. Though he certainly did try."

Before Scott can ask about that, Lydia interjects with, "How's your mom?" Sighing, Nixie says, "She's good. We're… still working out some kinks. She's still technically not supposed to be getting out of Eichen for another couple of weeks." Jordan steps over to the coffee pot at this point, and as he works on making Nixie a cup, he says, "Noah's talking with one of the doctors and an Eichen orderly. Given the current state of things, he's pretty sure he can get them to grant him temporary custody of Naomi as a patient."

Everyone sighs in relief at that, including Nixie, who is simply happy to hear it again. Noah was still going to have to text her that it was official or not… but he'd seemed rather confident that it wouldn't be hard to pull off.

Scott then turns to Nixie and asks, "But what did you mean, when you said he didn't kill all of them?" Nodding, Nixie says, "He tried to kill all of them. But, as I believe I've proven in the past, even when I was still supposedly human… some creatures have a greater tolerance for electricity than others. There were four in the room that were still breathing. And I took the liberty of checking them out of Eichen for… well, for the rest of the upcoming future."

To Lydia, Nixie says, "I need you to come with me in the morning. Everyone was too exhausted to really talk much. But I'd like to see if you can get some sort of a vibe off of these guys that I can't. I didn't really feel anything bad in them… but I didn't feel bad about Meredith either, and she ended up being the mastermind of a deadpool. So…"

Lydia nods, and then asks, "Where? Your house? Won't that be crowded?" Nixie and Jordan look at each other, and then Nixie says, "No… not our house."

She lets silence hang there for a moment, and then Scott lifts his head and asks, "Really?" Nixie nods, and then looks to Malia when the were-coyote asks, "What? What's going on?" Scott ponders it some more, and then grins and says, "It's… actually kind of perfect."

Jordan raises an eyebrow at that statement, and when Lydia tilts her head questioningly, he explains, "We took them to the shack that Nixie stayed in when she was homeless."

And now Lydia looks to Scott as well, wondering how he can think that's perfect. But Nixie smiles wide when Scott just chuckles, "That's actually great."

Seeing the others still looking at him like he's crazy, he exclaims, "What?! It's well hidden. No one aside from us knows that it even exists. For the most part, we can assume they'll be safe there." Nixie nods in agreement, though she adds, "But we are going to have to find some sort of system to get them food. Jordan says he can get water flowing back into the house again fairly easy. But food is another matter. There's no way we're getting electricity into that place. Not any time soon anyway."

Scott nods eagerly, open to figuring that out. He also briefly wonders where those four people will sleep. From what he can remember, when Nixie had been there, she'd simply slept on the floor, because any of the other furniture that had been in the place wasn't anywhere close to being sanitary enough to use for a bed.

Jordan was practically reading his mind though. Before Scott even asks, he explains, "We went and got a few mattresses from a rundown store in town. Blankets and pillows too." He turns his eyes to Nixie, and then chuckles when she throws out a hand, as though telling him to continue. Shrugging helplessly at Lydia, he adds, "And they're going to need more clothes and other essentials, obviously. Nixie fully intends to cater to their every need."

And they all can't help grinning when Nixie says, "Just the ones they can't cater to themselves! Geez! We can't exactly expect them to keep wearing the same clothes every single day. And it's not like there's a washer and dryer in that place."

And then, as her eyes take on a contemplative look, she can't help grinning when Jordan says, "We are not buying them a washer and dryer. Clothes I can handle. Hundreds of dollars in appliances? No."

Nixie shrugs, but then turns back to Scott and says, "Bottom line though, we can handle this. They'll be safe, and taken care of. At least until we can figure out what the hell is going on in this town." Scott nods, the smile of approval on his face stretching wider by the minute. Nixie's protective and loyal instincts revolved, almost entirely, around the people that were hers. Meaning that, if she were the dragon of any other alpha werewolf, she might not have put forth so much effort into saving and accommodating these total strangers from Eichen House.

But she was Scott's dragon, and Scott was an alpha that always, without fail, tried to save everyone. And because of that, Nixie was trying to save these four that she could. And it pleased Scott, beyond words, to think that they were doing this. That not all of the supernatural creatures in Eichen were dead, and that they were going to do what they could to look after them.

Of course, the question still remained of why Dr. Fenris had tried to kill them all in the first place. Turning to Lydia, he steers them back to that train of thought and asks, "But… why? Why try to kill them all in the first place?" Lydia shrugs, "He said he couldn't see it any other way."

Malia scoffs, "Well, I've got another way. You don't kill _all_ of them." Nixie raises an eyebrow, and would've commented… except Jordan presented her with a large cup of coffee. Breathing it in, Nixie sighs and says, "You're wonderful." Jordan kisses her temple, and then looks over at Lydia when she says, "I think he was afraid. Like… truly afraid." Nodding, Jordan adds, "That's what he said before he was getting ready to shoot me. He said he couldn't be afraid anymore."

Turning to look at all of them again, a dawning entering his eyes, Scott says, "The wolves, the rats. It all keeps coming back to the same thing. Fear." Nodding, Malia asks, "But what is everyone afraid of?"

No one has an answer to that immediately. So instead, Scott takes the time to explain to Nixie what they'd found out when Chris came back with them. And what was interesting is that the bullet used to kill the hellhound… was a silver bullet.

Silver was supposed to be used to kill werewolves. In myths and legends and folklore. And yes, sometimes those myths and legends held some truth to them. But in this particular case, the myth about silver was false. And in general, silver was too soft for bullets. Chris had taught Nixie that.

So whoever was doing this… whoever was hunting them now… they were an amateur. They didn't have a clue what they were doing. They just knew one thing. And that was that they wanted to kill supernatural creatures.

'Supernatural creatures'.

Nixie tilts her head as she lets that thought turn over a few times in her brain. And then, looking at the silver bullet on the table, she nods and says, "Us." Everyone looks up at her, so she elaborates, "They're afraid of us. The supernatural creatures. They're terrified… of us."

Scott runs a hand through his hair and says, "We don't know what that kind of fear could do to people. I mean, they could look at us differently." And before she can respond, Scott interjects, "And yes, I know you don't really care how people look at you, Nixie." Then he continues, "But it could also make them do things that they've never done before. Like try to hunt down a hellhound with a silver bullet."

Malia sighs, "People can be so stupid." Nixie points in agreement, but then looks at Lydia who says, "They're not stupid. They're scared." And Scott adds, "And scared people will do things that you wouldn't believe."

They all take a moment to consider those facts. Taking a breath, Nixie then points to everyone and says, "No one goes anywhere alone. Ever. And if something happens, even the smallest thing, and you people don't call me immediately, I will be giving someone a concussion." Everyone nods, though Malia does ask, "Are you ever serious when you say that?"

"Only when I'm talking to the ones with supernatural healing abilities. So Lydia over here is safe. The rest of you losers had better be braced though. Stiles has been gone a while, and I'm dying for a reason to hit some people upside the head. And all of you quit laughing at me. I'm dead serious."

* * *

And that's Chapter 2! Finally! This is still taking me longer than I thought. On a positive note, I have up through episode 6x17 written out now. So that's good. Three more to go, and then probably an epilogue chapter after that. So in total, for those who would like to know, there will probably be a total of 12 chapters in this season's story. And hopefully, chapter 3 won't take me so long to edit and put together and put in here. Hope you're enjoying! :)


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I maker her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 3: Episode 6x13

When Nixie first opens the door of the shack, she jerks back in surprise when a clawed hand immediately reaches out as though to rip at her face. Luckily, she was still one of the shortest people in the group, which meant the hand was a smidge too high, and it gave her time to duck.

Raising an eyebrow at the male werewolf from Eichen, she says, "If you're gonna do that every time I come back, then we're going to have a serious problem."

Upon seeing her, he steps back and immediately says, "Sorry. We… we just…" Nixie glances past him at the three women, all huddled near the vacant fireplace in the room. And though they were beginning to relax now, they had been terrified when they'd heard the footsteps approaching the door.

Sighing, Nixie says, "Before we leave, we need to work out some sort of signal so you know that it's friends who are approaching. Something unique that no one else is going to be able to guess or figure out on a whim." The man nods, and then backs out of the way so she, Lydia, and Jordan can all come in.

Nixie glances at Lydia, silently telling her to go ahead and take a walk around the room, so she can try and get a feel for the people inside. Then to the man, Nixie asks, "So… what's your name?"

The tall black man was built like Derek, if Nixie had to pick a body type to compare him too. Solid muscle. But where Derek had a constant grumpy and pissed off look on his face… well, except when he was looking at her… this guy had much gentler and kinder features as his natural expression. Of course, when he'd first opened the door, Nixie had taken note that he'd looked ready to fight and rip her to shreds if she had been anyone else. But now that he knew it was just them…

The man was like a giant teddy bear. Or maybe just a bear, since when Nixie thought of teddy bears, she thought of something small, and this guy was anything but that. In any case, he nods his head to her, in an expression she supposes is him offering his respects, and then says, "I'm Winston Jones." Nodding herself, Nixie then asks, "And what are you?" "Werewolf."

Then Nixie turns to the three women in the room. The two older females, probably in their late thirties or so, both had short black hair, and were thin. Really thin. Like… Nixie honestly wonders if they were fed enough… or at all… while they were in Eichen. But while one of them had skin that could've rivaled the white of winter snow, the other had an incredibly deep tan-color to her skin. The third young woman, who was maybe in her late twenties, had bright blonde hair, and was Caucasian, but with a vibrant pinkness that seemed to permanently rest in her cheeks. If Nixie didn't know any better, she'd think the girl had put on just a tad too much blush. And unlike the other two, she looked as though she had been well-fed. At least well enough to not look like a tooth pick.

The first woman, the pale one, says timidly, "Lucinda. I'm… a wendigo." And the other black-haired woman puts in, "So am I. I'm Penelope."

Nixie supposes they had been expecting her to react in some sort of frightened way. And yeah, it was a bit daunting. Wendigos were the cannibals. They ate human flesh, supposedly… and that was definitely something that Nixie couldn't have them resorting to.

But, rather than eye them warily or step back in fear, she simply turned her gaze to the third woman. The fact that Nixie wasn't already freaking out or running away from all of them must've pleased her beyond belief, because a smile lit up her face as she says, "I'm Tabitha. I'm an Astomi."

Nixie nods at first, but then blinks in confusion and asks, "A what?" Tabitha's smile shrinks a bit, but she answers, "I… I don't eat. Or drink. Ever. I… just don't have to. I can smell food and beverages, and that's all I need to survive."

Pondering that for a moment, Nixie then looks back at Jordan and says, "Well, that solves part of one problem. We don't have to buy her a whole meal every day." Back to Tabitha, who is smiling in relief, Nixie asks, "Do you have anything in particular you like to smell?" "Apples!"

Nixie raises an eyebrow at the excited way she shouts that, but Winston says, "She… hasn't had access to anything she's liked for years. They stopped bringing her what she would've preferred, and only brought her things that she wouldn't like." Nixie tilts her head, "Why?"

Winston darts his eyes over to Tabitha, whose already pink cheeks turn an even darker shade of red. Nodding, Nixie says, "Right. You two are together. And Eichen didn't like it. Noted."

Back to the wendigos, Nixie asks, "So… how have you two been surviving?" They two women look at each other, and then they both nod. Penelope, the less shy of the two, says, "The doctors would… inject us with these shots. We have no idea what was in them. It made us weak, and then they would force feed us 'normal' food."

Nixie doesn't miss the venom in her voice when Penelope says 'normal food'. She ponders that for a bit, and then says, "Well, we're obviously not shooting you up with drugs. Not only do we not have access to that, but that would also just be supremely not cool."

Both women look relieved at her words, and then Nixie adds, "But I obviously can't have you going around and eating people. We will have a problem if we can't find a way around that." Lucinda nods, "We… it's not strictly human flesh we crave. Some of our kind… yes, they develop a taste for that and never try to curb it. But… we just want raw meat. And… maybe something with plenty of fat on it."

Nixie takes that in, and then turns to Jordan. He shrugs and says, "We can work with that." "Yeah, but what are we going to get them. Steaks?"

As both women's eyes widen to the size of saucers, Jordan grins while shaking his head at Nixie. Stepping up to her, raising an eyebrow, he asks, "Are you trying to tell me something?" "Yes. That we need to figure out what to feed our guests."

For a moment neither of them move, but then Nixie finally blushes a bit at being caught. Not that it mattered. Jordan would buy them whatever they needed to survive. It wasn't like he planned to starve them. But… well, clearly Nixie thought their first meal outside of the prison that was Eichen House, should be something of a celebration. And steaks were certainly a celebratory kind of food.

Expensive too… which is why she had asked the question aloud, rather than waiting until later. Now it would seem rude if he took that idea away from them.

Nixie's bottom lip slips between her teeth, and Jordan can't help smirking down at her. She would pay for it later. He would see to that. But he doesn't think she'll particularly mind.

For now, he kisses her forehead and says, "Yes, we'll get all of them steaks. We'll also figure out, eventually, some sort of way they can keep and cook their own food down here." Tilting her head, Nixie says, "I thought electricity was an issue." "I thought so too. But I talked to Chris about it, and he seems to have an idea about how it could be done. He and I will work on that later though."

Turning to Winston, Jordan asks, "How do you like yours cooked?" Winston still looks so shocked that for a moment, he doesn't respond. Finally though, he says, "Medium." Jordan nods, "We'll work on those as soon as the first store opens back up. And we'll bring by a few cases of water. After that…"

Jordan looks down at Nixie, and then shrugs. Sighing, Nixie says, "I know." Winston looks between them, and then asks, "What?" Turning to him, Nixie says, "Nothing you need to worry about right now. I'm just… I'm trying to think long-term. This place… it's a good temporary solution. It's the best I've got right now, in any case. But depending on how long this crisis lasts, and on how long you'll have to stay here…"

Shrugging, she says, "I mean… I know it's better than Eichen. But still… this place is hardly big enough for one person. There's four of you. And I'm just… trying to figure out what we're going to do, if this takes a long time, or if someone bad actually manages to find this place."

Silence takes over for a while after that. Jordan kisses Nixie's temple and whispers, "We'll figure it out. Between all of us, we'll figure out something." She nods, and then turns to look at Tabitha, who has walked up beside her. Fiddling with her hands a bit, the astomi then asks, "If… If I may… what are all of you?"

Lydia, who rejoins Nixie and Jordan now, says, "Banshee." Then she cuts her eyes to Nixie, and winks before whispering, "All clear." Nixie nods with a grin, and then points to Jordan. "He's a hellhound." And then she points a hand to herself, "And I'm a dragon."

Tabitha tilts her head at the last one, but then laughs when Nixie says, "I know. Somehow, even with the fact that we have foxes, wolves, coyotes, and even supernatural cannibals… you never really thought you'd hear about a supernatural dragon. Doesn't seem like something that big should be able to fit in such a tiny package."

Jordan lets out a bark of laughter, catching Nixie's hand when she makes to punch him in the gut. Yanking her closer, wrapping his arms around her, he says, "If you continue to call yourself a tiny anything, everyone will actually start calling you a compact-ninja." "Oh, shut up! I was meaning dragons are usually considered to be huge, compared to humans." "Sure you were."

Nixie gives him a look, but then grins and says, "It is true what they say though. All the best things in the world come in the smallest packages." And she can't help laughing when Jordan groans, "God, I've created a monster."

* * *

They hadn't even been home a complete hour, when all hell decided to break loose again. And Nixie officially decides that, even if Deaton doesn't come back with anything from the tests he's doing, something is definitely going on with her. And why is that?

Because her phone is ringing. It's been called three times now. And rather than answer it, or call attention to it, she whines before saying, "Jordan, please."

The man in question quickly snaps his hips into hers, smiling into the curve of her neck when Nixie cries out. Her hands cling to him desperately, and her knees are now locked against his sides, as though daring him to try and pull farther away than necessary. Kissing her neck gently, he says breathlessly, "I would've bought them whatever you wanted anyway. You know that."

He leans back to look at her, and then can't help chuckling when Nixie lets out a breathless laugh while saying, "Yeah… I know. But doing it my way has much more interesting results." Jordan rolls his hips for emphasis on that point, and Nixie groans before again pleading, "Please."

He kisses her silent after that, and is on his way to finally giving her the pleasure she's been seeking since they first walked in the door. That's when her phone ringing finally registers with him. Glancing over at it, he says, "Your phone. Nix…"

It says a lot; it really does. The fact that Nixie, literally, always drops everything else to answer her phone whenever it rings. It says a lot to the fact that… something was definitely up. Because Jordan was most definitely not in a position where he wanted to let her go. But he would have, because he knew how important that concept was to her.

And it says a lot to him, when Nixie grips the back of his head, drawing him back down to her. Foreheads pressed together, there's a bit of supernatural rasp in her voice when she begs, "Please don't stop. Please!"

For a moment, he does in fact freeze. And Nixie opens her clenched eyes to look at him, and the confusion resting there was enough to remind her that… well, this was not normal. Her damn phone was ringing. Someone might be dying. And she was ignoring that to continue… well, this.

She almost had a grip back on her senses, when Jordan started moving again. And she had half a mind to finally ask him to stop and grab her phone for her. But at a particular thrust of his hips, she screamed and went back to losing herself in everything that was him.

When they're finished, Jordan takes a few seconds to get a breath. Then he reaches over for her phone. Pulling it to his ear, he clears his throat and asks, "What's up?"

A pause, and then Lydia asks, "What's wrong with Nixie?" Jordan sighs, "Nothing. She's right here. I just happen to have her phone. What's up, Lydia?"

Nixie opens her eyes when Jordan drops his head onto her shoulder. His sigh of disappointment wasn't directed at her, she knew that. It was just directed at their situation as a whole. Because whatever Lydia was telling him… it meant that Nixie would be leaving rather soon.

Nodding, he says, "I'll tell her. Give her fifteen minutes." After he hangs up, he holds himself up over her, braced on his elbows. Eyes roaming over her beautiful face, he brushes some of the stray strands of hair back from her forehead. Then he asks gently, "Are you alright?"

The fact that she doesn't answer right away is what tells him that she knows exactly what he's talking about… and she's honestly not sure. Tilting his head, he asks, "Deaton? Have you been to see him?" Nodding, Nixie says, "Inconclusive for the moment. He hasn't gotten back to me yet."

Cupping her face in one hand, Jordan asks, "Is it just this that's strange? Is there anything else?" Nixie leans into his warm hand while she thinks, and then sighs, "No. I think this is it. If anything else is off, it's not something I'm noticing." Jordan nods, and then kisses her gently on the lips before saying, "Brett's missing."

She tenses beneath him immediately, and her eyebrows come together as she asks, "How long?" "They're not sure. Lydia says that Lori found his lacrosse stick covered in blood, and she heard gunshots." Nixie ponders that, and then says, "So he's been gone at least since the lacrosse practice let out. That's well over six hours now."

Jordan nods, and then rolls over onto his back. Glancing back at her, he asks, "When's the last time you ate?" She shrugs indifferently, to which Jordan says, "Don't make me threaten to tickle you." Grinning over at him, Nixie says, "Probably lunch yesterday." "Nixie…" "It wasn't on purpose. You were nearly frozen to death. And because of that, I missed my dinner." "Ah, of course. All my fault then." "Exactly."

He pokes her in the side, chuckling when she giggles and then whines, "Don't." He kisses her shoulder, and then sighs before saying, "Take a shower before you go. I'll make some eggs at least for you to eat. And I'll do what I can to help find Brett on my end. Keep me updated." "Of course."

It's as he's heading out the bedroom door when he pauses as Nixie says, "Jordan?" Turning back to her, he asks, "Yeah?"

For a moment she just looks at him, an endearing and loving look on her face. Tilting his head, Jordan asks, "Nixie, what?" She shrugs, but then says, "I just love you. And your patience with, literally, every single ounce of the crap we have to deal with." Smiling, Jordan comes back to kiss her firmly on the lips. Brushing his nose against hers, he says, "Always." Nixie smiles in return, and then says, "Alright. I'm gonna shower now. Oh! Do we have bacon?!"

Jordan laughs as he walks away, and then harder when he hears Nixie mumble, "Can't eat eggs without bacon. What kind of meal is that?" "I heard that." "Well, then you understand what a dilemma it will be if we don't have bacon."

* * *

When Nixie reaches the woods, she first finds Liam, who is at a tree with an arrow sticking out of it.

An arrow covered in blood. Not a good sign.

Dropping down out of the sky, Nixie glances over at the others as they run up. Poor Lori looks beside herself with worry.

She does perk up a bit when she sees Nixie has finally arrived on the scene. Because she already knew it didn't matter how many scars she already had. She would add Brett's to her collection, just as soon as they finally found him. And she would find him. Lori figures this probably definitely falls into the category of, 'hell will freeze over', before Nixie allows any other outcome to take place.

Liam points to where Brett's phone is placed on the ground, and then says, "I think he set a trap." Nixie looks to the arrow covered in his blood, and adds, "Using the arrow that they used to try and kill him. Talk about hardcore." Scott nods, "He's fighting back."

Malia turns to face them, having been scanning the woods around them, and then says, "And now we know he's alive." Lori moves to pull the arrow from the tree. And upon seeing all the blood already on it, some red and now some black, she adds, "But he's still hurt. We need to find him. He needs to know we're here."

She turns, preparing to roar, to let her brother know that he wasn't alone in these woods. And Nixie wouldn't be against somehow letting Brett know they were looking for him. But…

Before Malia has to do anything to stop Lori, Nixie swiftly smacks her hand up to cover Lori's mouth, clamping down on any sound she might've tried to make. Turning to Nixie anxiously, Lori pulls back and says, "But…" Malia grips her arm and asks, "You want the hunter to know we're here, too?"

Nixie points to Malia in agreement, but Liam is with Lori as he says, "He's a new hunter. We can take him." Scott nods at Liam, seeing that as a definite possibility. But Nixie is already shaking her head, and points to Malia again when the were-coyote says, "And what if Brett howls back? He'll lead the hunter right to him."

Scott acknowledges that, and then turns to Nixie. She was obviously on Malia's side of this argument… but he knew she was also weighing all the options before them, not just choosing the one she thought was safest or easiest for their side of things. She wasn't looking at this situation desperately. She was looking at it logically, trying to pick the path that had the best chances of them getting to Brett, finding him alive, and bringing him home.

Nodding towards her, he says, "We could find him first. There's no human that can track sounds faster than we can." "Scott; that assumes Brett howls back." "We can track his scent too then." But Malia points out, "I can't catch his scent." Lori nods, "He's masking it." "Well, someone should tell him not to."

Liam takes the arrow from Lori, and then his eyes see where a pool of Brett's blood must've landed. Pointing, he exclaims, "He went this way!"

He and Lori take off instantly, but the other three stay behind. Scott tilts his head at Nixie and says, "We have the advantage here, we've done this before. We can do this." Nixie doesn't argue that point, but she does say, "Scott, it's not about whether or not we can do it at all. It's about whether or not we can track and find him, before the hunter does."

Gesturing around, she says, "I only smell Brett's old blood. No one else has been hurt yet. Which means this trap he set, brilliant as it may have been, didn't work." Malia nods, "Which means this hunter figured it out at some point."

Scott ponders that, and then says, "So maybe this hunter isn't such an amateur." Nixie turns back towards the ground around them, looking for signs as to who the other person in the woods might be. Malia lifts her head and adds, "Or maybe he's learning."

And then she and Scott both nod in agreement when Nixie says, "Which poses the incredibly terrifying question of, if he or she is learning how to become a better hunter… then who the hell is teaching?"

* * *

Nixie was growing more worried and worried by the second. Brett's scent was being masked in every direction, so all they had to go on was the trail of blood he was leaving behind. That trail being long and filled with some rather large pools of life-sustaining blood.

The human body could only survive losing three to four pints of blood, and even then, if a transfusion wasn't ready and nearby almost immediately, death was imminent. Werewolves and other supernatural creatures might be able to lose a little more than that and still function, but the fact remained that there was a limit not too far away, and Brett was dangerously close to reaching it.

When Malia points out that the trail ends here, next to yet another large pool of blood, Scott suggests, "Maybe he just stopped bleeding."

Standing up straight, Nixie says, "I really hope that's it… even as unlikely as it might be." Liam runs a hand through his hair worriedly, and then says, "I think we should split up. Lori and I can go this way." He points towards the west, and then to the east when he adds, "And Malia and Scott can go that way. Nixie can fly overhead and keep us all within ear shot, and then shoot down when one of us finds something. Better yet, she can keep her eyes peeled for Brett in the sky. He could be hiding in the trees or something."

Nixie doesn't altogether like the plan of splitting up… but it wasn't the worst idea she'd heard tonight. And she'd wager that Brett had lost at least twenty percent of his blood content already. Anymore was encroaching on the territory in which he really started to die. And that wasn't really an option, so…

Lori's plan, however, is, "Or maybe we can go in four different directions?" To that, Nixie shakes her head, "No. That risks one of you running into the hunter alone. And if they are learning, we can't have that." "But if you're in the sky…" "If I'm in the sky and I'm hovering over Scott when you scream out for help, I might not make it back to you in time. I'm fast, but I'm not a teleporter."

Malia tilts her head in confusion at that comment, but then choses to ignore it for now and says, "We need to stick together." Liam huffs, "We have the advantage, its four against one." And Malia raises an eyebrow at him, "Not if we split up." "Alright, look. I've been doing this the past three months without your help. I think I can make this decision." "Well, if you're deciding to do something stupid and die, then go ahead."

Liam was about to argue that it was just one hunter, when Nixie snarls at all three of them to shut up. Then she turns her attention to Scott, who had yet to interject his opinion into this conversation. Nodding at him, she asks, "Scott?" He looks up at her, and then says, "Come here."

Joining him on the ground, she sighs when she sees the shoe print that he's uncovered. And as he continues to brush the leaves away, he uncovers another. The first looked like a normal shoe, with no distinct tread or identifying marks on the sole. But the other… the other was definitely a boot, with a tread that suggested the person wearing it had been prepared to venture this far into the woods and hunt down their prey.

Running a hand through her hair, she says, "Two." Malia blinks and asks, "Two of them? Two hunters?" Scott nods and adds, "Maybe more." Lori looks at all of them, and then asks, "Well, how many hunters have you seen out here before?"

Scott and Nixie look at each other at that. In their heads, they go back over all their time since Scott had become a werewolf. And the number of hunters, both experienced and amateur, that they'd seen in these woods…

Scott's only response is to say, "A lot." Nixie nods, and then stands up straight as Malia asks Liam, "Still wanna split up?" "We can deal with it! We just need to find Brett's trail."

Scott stands up too, and as he and Nixie look at each other, she knows he's about to ask what she thinks. But before they can get into that, Lori says, "No, we don't."

Pointing over at a neatly stacked pile of rocks… something Nixie thinks she probably should've noticed earlier, Lori explains, "Rock balancing. Satomi taught us. It's him! And I know where he's going!" Throwing up her hands, Nixie says, "Great! Where?"

But as soon as Lori explains that Brett has taken refuge in the tunnels and sewers that run beneath Beacon Hills, Nixie drops her arms and groans. "Seriously! Why does it always start coming back to these damn tunnels?!"

* * *

Scott closes the grate from above their heads and then climbs down the ladder as fast as he can. They still needed to keep an eye on Lori, who was moving faster than the rest of them. Too fast.

The fact that Nixie agrees with him is the thing that makes it more concerning. Brett wasn't pack, and he wasn't her boy. But Brett was a friend, and Nixie was always trying to get to her friends and protect them whenever she could. As fast as she could.

But, there was getting to the people who needed you fast. And then there was speeding your way into a trap and potentially killing yourself, before you actually got the chance to reach the person you were trying to help. And at her current pace, Lori was dangerously close to being in the second category.

Nixie and Scott share a look, and then dash up the tunnel after the others. They find Lori bent down to the floor, where more of Brett's blood is lying in a pool. Nixie would estimate he's close to having lost three pints now. Dangerously close to the point of not functioning properly anymore for a human. He was probably still alright for now… and he would remain that way if they found him in time.

And… well, and if they didn't die before they got to him. Nixie has been getting a significantly bad feeling about this new hunter, and the person who is training them. There was a scent in the air that she thought was familiar, but she couldn't place it.

Regardless of that, Scott knows better than to question her judgment on these things. If she has a bad feeling, it could be assumed that whoever they were going to run into was going to be rather hard to deal with. And judging from the concern that kept growing on her face, her feeling kept getting worse.

Standing up, Lori says, "He's been poisoned." Nixie sniffs at the air, and then sighs, "Wolfsbane." Scott runs a hand through his hair, "That's why he's not healing."

Frantic, Lori asks, "What if he only has a few hours to live?" Liam glances up and down the tunnels, and then says, "Well… if we howl we can find him?" Malia shakes her head, "That's too risky." Lori snaps her eyes to the were-coyote and exclaims, "Who cares about the risk?! He could be dying!" But Malia points to the trail of blood on the floor and says, "He's still moving. He's not dead yet."

Scott nods in agreement and says, "We just need time to think." But Lori shakes her head, "I need him to know that I'm here, that I'm coming for him." Liam glances over at Scott, and then says, "She's right. He has to know we're here."

And before anyone can stop him, Liam turns to face the hall, and roars loudly. The sound echoes past the pipes and into every section beyond them. There was no way Brett missed hearing the sound.

No way those hunters missed hearing it either. Which is why Liam suddenly finds himself slammed into the concrete wall on the other side of him.

Nixie had honestly thought it would be Lori that she'd have to keep a leash on. At least when it came to the howl. Which is why she'd been standing closer to her, and why Nixie had been prepared to slap a hand over her mouth again if need be.

It's also why Liam got to roar, without being stopped by Nixie. But he was certainly considering the idea that it might've been a mistake now.

Nixie snarls behind her lips, causing Liam's eyes to widen as he looks up at her from the ground he's now lying on. Bending down towards him, Nixie says, "Liam… there's overprotective. And then there's just stupid. I'm overprotective. I'll take as many hits, run as far as I have to, and scream as loud as necessary, in order to protect my people."

Shining silver eyes at him, she says, "But I would not, under any circumstances, try and do something like this. Now the hunters now we're here. Now they know that Brett has help. And now they will be chasing after him even faster, and more vigorously. Not to mention, now that they know we're here, they know to be prepared for an attack from behind. And there is no telling what traps they might set in order to try and delay us."

Standing up straight, she turns to Scott, and then says, "We need to move." "Right. Everybody, this way."

But as they round each new corner, the trail becomes harder to follow. And Brett still hasn't answered back to Liam's cry from before. Gripping her head in her hands, Lori asks, "Why isn't he answering?" Liam sighs, "Maybe he didn't hear us."

Nixie scoffs, "He heard you. Everyone down here heard you. The rats are leaving us alone, at every turn, because they very clearly heard you." Liam's head ducks slightly at that, but as he and Lori continue leading the way, Nixie feels Scott fall slightly behind.

The look on his face is one of severe foreboding of something to come. He was the alpha. He sensed something. And as his eyes take in the tunnel before them… Nixie sees his eyes widen in realization. Following his gaze, Nixie then sees the thin chord of wire stretched across from one side of the tunnel to the other. So faint and thin, a human probably never would've seen it at all. But they weren't human.

"Lori, no!" She turns back at Scott's panicked voice, but Lori still takes an extra step forward, tripping the wire on the floor.

The rest happens in a blur. Scott quickly shoved Nixie in the direction of Malia and Liam, which told Nixie all she needed to know. He wanted her to get those two out of the way. He would grab Lori. So she snagged them by the backs of their shirts and hauled them back a good six-feet, making sure they were clear of any line of fire, no matter what the trip wire caused to happen.

Scott was not so fortunate. He got Lori out of the way… but he'd been impaled in the process. A long metal staff now protruded from his right side, and was partially wedged into the wall behind him, keeping Scott from moving.

As he begins to slump in pain, Nixie sprints to him and holds him up. Putting a hand on his chest to keep him in place, there's a growl in her voice when she says, "Get over here! Now!" As the others rush up, Nixie looks to Liam and says, "Help me hold him still. Malia, you and Lori pull it out of him."

With her eyes shining, no one dares to argue with anything she has to say. Not that there was anything to argue about… but it was apparent in their hurried motions that they were eager to do anything to put her more at ease.

Nixie puts her hand to Scott's neck, beginning to steal his pain and preparing the take the injury as soon as the staff is removed. But before they do anything else, Scott reaches up to grip her hand and says, "Wait!" Lori and Malia stop, and Nixie snaps her eyes up to him and asks, "For what?!"

He just gives her a stern look, and takes a steadying breath before saying, "Do not steal the wound. I'll heal." "Scott, we don't have time for this! Just let them get it out and…" "Nixie, listen to me."

He drops his head back against the wall, huffing at how hard it feels to breathe right now. Then he looks to her again and says, "Brett is wounded. He's poisoned. And we don't know how much worse he's going to be when we finally do find him." Squeezing her hand, he says, "I need you, ready and able, to take his wound when we get there. Which means you can't have this one, and Brett's to deal with. We don't know how severe his is yet."

Nixie stares at him, and then says, "Brett's not mine. He's… he's a friend. But… Scott… you're my…" He nods, "I'm your boy. I know that. But I'm your boy, that will heal. There's no wolfsbane here. I'm not poisoned. We know that I'll be fine." He shakes his head, "But we don't know if Brett will be. And he might not be our pack. He might not be your boy. But he is ours, Nixie. He's our friend, and he's a life worth saving." "I know that! But…"

Sternly, he says, "Nixie." She stares at him a moment more, and then grits her teeth before saying, "Fine. But I'm stealing your pain." He doesn't argue with that, and then nods for Malia to start trying to get it out again.

When it's finally tossed aside, Scott slumps to the ground with Nixie and Liam's aid. Panting as Malia presses a cloth against his wound, Scott says breathlessly, "They knew we were coming." Nixie cuts her eyes to Liam and says, "Yeah. Wonder how the hell that happened."

Malia keeps pressure on the wound and says, "Don't talk, Scott. Just heal. Let us figure this out." Scott looks to her, then at Nixie as he says, "They've been a step ahead of us the whole time." Nixie nods in understanding. If they were going to continue on, they had to keep that in mind.

And they were clearly going to continue, since Lori's next statement is, "I'm sorry, but I can't wait around. We have to go." Liam glances at Nixie in apology, but then says, "We still have the numbers. Four to two. We're faster and stronger than them." Scott gives both of these teens a look and says, "They're smarter."

Nixie raises an eyebrow at that, but doesn't comment as Lori butts in with, "I don't care who's smarter or faster or whatever, my brother's going to die." But Scott, with his own sixth sense again, says, "Something's not right. The arrow, the trip wire, the poison. These aren't amateurs."

Liam counters back with, "But they've never fought us before." Nixie snarls at him and says, "Unless you suddenly determined exactly who we're up against, you don't fucking know that. Also, you're freaking werewolf-pup. You have never had to take on and face down hunters before."

Gesturing between herself and Scott, she says, "We have. So shut the fuck up." Scott reaches up for her hand, trying to calm her down slightly. Although he'll admit, the chill that has managed to take over this entire tunnel feels really good in his opinion. Looking up at Liam again, he emphasizes, "We need to stick together." Lori shakes her head, "I have to go."

And Liam knows that Nixie is still pissed. This was partially his fault, he knows that. But… even if he didn't know about the rest of it, he does know this much. Letting Lori go after Brett alone was not a good idea. So he says, "She can't go alone. I'll go with her." Scott shakes his head, "Liam! You don't know who they are, or what they're capable of."

Bending down to Scott's level, Liam says, "Maybe not. But I know who we are. And we never give up. Especially when it's someone innocent, or when it's someone alone, or when it's one of our friends."

Scott ponders that for a minute, and then turns his attention back to Nixie. She stares back at him for a moment, and then lets out a long breath through her nose. It wasn't really that she didn't agree with Scott. They needed to find Brett. The sooner the better. That being said… she most definitely didn't like the idea of just leaving him here. What if the hunters doubled back? What if someone was following behind them?

Turning her attention to Malia, Nixie says, "You stay with him." Malia offers no argument on that point, and then Nixie looks up to Lori and Liam. Nodding her head down the hall, she says, "Let's go. But both of you stay behind me. And if you pass me…" She points to Lori, who is already eager to start moving again. Glaring at the she-wolf, Nixie says, "I will break your nose with my elbow, and then leave you behind so I can safely save your brother's life. Understand me?"

She nods, and with that they take off up the hall, trying to be more wary of the other traps that might lay ahead.

But the further they go, the less of a trail they can find. As they get to the end of the next tunnel, which splits off in two direction, Nixie can't find a single thing that will help them determine which way to go. There was no more blood, no sounds nearby to rely on, and nothing in the tunnels looked like it was moved out of place. Occasionally, Nixie had been able to pick up on some dirt that had shifted on the ground, or dust being removed from a particular space on the wall where a hand had landed.

Supernatural eyesight. It's an amazing thing.

As they stop to glance around, Liam says, "There has to be something." To Lori, he asks, "Did he leave anything for you to find. Like, a signal or… or more rocks?" Lori shakes her head, but then they both look to Nixie when she says, "Liam, please. Where, exactly, is he going to find more rocks at down here?"

Liam gives her a look, not appreciating her tone. She simply raises an eyebrow and says, "Use your head. He obviously came this way. His blood was in the last tunnel, and there were no other doors or paths he could've taken. We just need to take a minute, and think."

Glancing at Lori, Nixie says, "We will find him. And he'll be fine." But Lori, tears welling in her eyes, asks sadly, "How do you know?" Nixie raises an eyebrow at that, but doesn't interrupt when Liam says, "Because he's strong. Really strong. He's knocked me down on the lacrosse field more than once. And now, when I see him coming… I do everything I can to get the hell out of the way."

Nixie would've commented on that too… except her eyes soften when Lori explains, "Brett actually started playing lacrosse for me." Liam tilts his head, so she elaborates, "I didn't have any friends at my old school. Devenford Prep needed lacrosse players… and Brett practiced all summer. And he got a scholarship… and he told them that they had to take me if they wanted him."

Liam reaches out to squeeze her arm comfortingly as a tear rolls down her face. "Lori… we'll find him. And he's going to be okay." "But how do you know?"

"Because I'm here." They both turn to look at Nixie again. And she didn't want to make a big deal out of it… but Lori needed reassurance. Stepping up to them again, Nixie sighs, "Scott nearly died last year. His heart literally stopped for fifteen minutes. And part of why he's alive, is because he's a true alpha. He's Scott McCall. And the world is not ready to lose him yet."

Lori nods, and then her eyes widen when Nixie lifts some of the material of her leather top to reveal the entire scar beneath. Gesturing to it, Nixie says, "The other part of why he's alive, is because of me. Because I took over half of the injury that was meant to kill him." She reaches out for Lori's shoulder, and then says, "I'm a dragon. I also have a high-tolerance for pain. And when we find him, no matter what is wrong with him… no matter how much or how severe… I will take everything that I have to, in order to make sure he lives."

Lori tilts her head, "What if you can't handle it?" "I can handle it. I can always handle it. It's why I'm the dragon." Then she looks to Liam and says, "Besides. If it really starts to hurt that much, Liam will take some of my pain." Liam nods affirmatively, and then says, "See, Lori? It'll be fine. We just have to find him."

As he says that, Nixie catches a whiff of… well, something. Her nose wrinkles at the sourness that permeates the air, and then she nods when Liam asks, "Do you smell that?" Lori glances around too, and then says, "It smells like something's rotting."

Liam turns back to them and says anxiously, "I think it's poison." Nixie takes in a deeper breath. And yes, beneath the sourness that must've been Brett's own blood in the mix, she could catch a hint of wolfsbane. Lori smiles and says, "That's how we'll find him. We follow that smell."

Nixie nods in agreement and begins leading the way again. But while Lori and Liam seemed thrilled about this new development… Nixie most certainly was not. Because the wolfsbane was not the thing that was rotting. Brett was. His body couldn't heal, and the wolfsbane was spreading through the rest of his body.

He needed Deaton. He needed treatment. And he needed at least some of his injuries taken away. Nixie doesn't think the poison part is something she can fix for him. Traumas of the mind were a thing she apparently couldn't reach yet… or maybe ever. And when Noah had been hurt last year, Nixie had only been able to fix his flesh wound, and she couldn't heal the rest of him because a piece of bone marrow was still lodged in his body.

But, she was developing more as a dragon each day. Who was to say that she couldn't somehow syphon the wolfsbane out of him now? If it came down to it, she would most certainly try.

As they continue following the scent down the tunnels, Lori can't help but ask, "Are you sure we're going the right way?" Liam knows they're following Nixie more than anything right now, but nods anyway and says, "Positive. I've gotten lost in these tunnels before, more than once. We just… have to follow the scent." Lori sighs worriedly, "I hate that scent. And how can you tell where it's coming from? Seems like it's everywhere to me."

Liam honestly doesn't know how to respond to that. He was just following Nixie at this point. But he smiles when she says, "I know where it's coming from because we're heading in the direction where it keeps getting stronger and more pungent. When we first smelled it, was one of the last places Brett was. Closer we get to him, the stronger the scent becomes. Just have to keep heading in the direction that makes you wish you didn't have a nose."

Lori looks at Liam, her eyes obviously asking why Nixie thought right now was an okay time to be sarcastic. And in spite of everything, Nixie can't help grinning when Liam says from behind, "As a general rule with Nixie, there's always time for sarcasm."

When they get to the end of another tunnel, Nixie takes a moment to determine the next direction. But before they continue, Liam asks, "Wait… do you hear that?" They all stop and go completely silent for a moment, and then Lori says, "A heartbeat. Brett's."

Liam nods, but then looks at Nixie worriedly when she adds, "A faint one. He's tiring out. We need to get to him. Now."

Lori doesn't need to be told twice, and Nixie doesn't even try to smack her in the head for sprinting past her down the hall. She just follows Lori, and the sound of that faint heartbeat, until they reach the end of the next tunnel. And at first, they see nothing. Lori grips her head in her hands again and looks about to burst into tears.

But the heartbeat… and that awful smell… they were both too strong in here for Brett to not be present. Nixie squeezes Lori's shoulder before she can say anything, and then she steps further into this little pocket in the tunnels.

And that's where she finds him. Sitting down behind several barrels of oil. And he looked like complete shit. The black ooze wasn't just coming from his wound. It was apparently leaking from his lips, and the corners of his eyes as well.

He was a dying werewolf. And if they didn't get him help soon, he wasn't going to make it.

Lori sprints to be down at his other side, and when he opens his eyes faintly to look at her, he manages a smile. "You found the rocks." Laughing slightly, Lori says, "Yeah, I found the rocks."

Brett then looks up at Liam, and he manages another smile. "Hey Liam." "Hey. We're gonna get you out of here."

And in spite of his condition, Nixie can't help grinning when Brett says, "You're a dumbass for doing this." Liam rolls his eyes, "Is that your way of thanking us?" Brett huffs at the exertion it takes for him to stand, even with Lori supporting him. Then he says, "No… that's my way of calling you a dumbass. But thanks."

Liam chuckles, and then says to Nixie, "Can you believe this guy?" Brett then turns to finally see Nixie standing there. And he can't help smiling again when she shrugs and says, "I personally agree with him. You're a dumbass. An adorable and endearing one… but a dumbass at this current moment. No offense." "How is that not offensive?"

She shrugs again, but then tenses as she hears something off in the air. A new scent that somehow gets past the one of Brett's rotting form. And a shifting of a person down halls they'd already been through.

Something wasn't right.

Liam can sense it too, but before either of them can comment, several smoke bombs go off further up the tunnel. Flashes of light go off, and even as Liam tells Lori to get Brett out of here, the sonic emitters begin going off, screwing with all of their hearing.

The emitters were definitely an Argent thing. They custom made and designed those things. And Nixie knows that, even though Chris was back into selling weapons… he definitely wouldn't have sold those. So who…

Cursing under her breath, she grabs Liam's arm and says, "Go with them." "No! We'll hold them off together!" "If this is who I think it is, then Brett and Lori need you more than me. Get to them. Keep them safe. I will find you as soon as I can. Now go!"

Liam would've asked who she thought it was… except Nixie had already snapped her scales out into the open for protection. Whatever she was expecting to come… whoever she thought it was that was waiting around the corner… she already knew they were dangerous. And still, she was more worried about what Lori and Brett might be headed into.

She looks to Liam again, and then says, "I will be fine. He can't hurt me. But he can hurt them. Go!"

After he sprints away, Nixie sprints into the smoke and flashing lights. The emitter gives her a headache, on top of everything else… but she finally finds it. Pressing the button to cut it off, she sighs in relief, and then looks around for signs of the person who set it off.

But there's no one. She even goes back to the end of the hall, and searches for anymore hidden doors and paths that someone could hide in. But there aren't any. No one is here.

A diversion. One that worked, to Nixie's frustration. Growling under her breath, she turns back to where Lori, Brett, and Liam had been. They're already gone… heading into someone unknown trap. And if they died because she'd fallen into this…

The steam in the air falls to the ground as it begins freezing. Because if her friends died because of this, then there would be no mercy.

Gerard Argent would wish for death. He'd beg for it on hands and knees. He'd pray to the devil himself for his life to end, by the time Nixie was even close to being finished with him. And even then, she would not grant him peace.

For a man like Gerard, sometimes even death was too good of a punishment.

Her race after them is hectic after that. Brett was still dying, which meant that they were moving slower than normal. But with Lori helping him, they were bound to be at least close to an exit by now.

She finds Liam first, who still hasn't caught up with them. And she doesn't have to tell him that it's still a trap. He throws another emitter into a wall, smashing it to pieces, as he says, "They're running right into it." "I know. Which is why we have to hurry. Come on!"

But when they reach the opening; the ladder leading up to the street… Lori and Brett are already climbing up to the surface. Liam shouts for them to wait, but they're already out of sight. And as he reaches the bottom of the ladder, both he and Nixie freeze when they hear the crunching of bones, and the squealing of truck tires.

No… no, no, no, no.

Nixie would've pulled Liam to stay behind. She can already see his claws extending, and she can imagine what the rest of his face looks like. But with one mighty pull, he launches himself up and out onto the street in a massive leap. Nixie sighs, pinching the bridge of her nose for a second.

Then she hears Liam's roar of pain and anger… and she knows it's not good.

Climbing up though, she finds it's even worse than she imagined. Not only are Brett and Lori lying in the street, looking dead… but a majority of the people that lived on this particular block were outside, staring at Liam in the street lights.

And there was only so much ignorance a town could have. Ignoring things that happened in the shadows, in the dark of the night that then vanished and were never seen again… that was one thing. But this… everyone could see him. Teeth lengthened, claws out, facial hair extended, and eyes glowing a bright gold.

They weren't going to be able to ignore that.

Nixie does ignore all of them though. Climbing out of the hole, ignoring those that gasp at her own appearance, she crawls over to Brett and Lori. Both were lying in each other's arms. Both looked dead. Both were definitely broken and damaged and beyond any normal capacity of repair.

But she was not normal. And as she focused her hearing on them specifically… she could make out the very faintest of heartbeats in both of them. They weren't dead yet. And if she had her way, they wouldn't be.

Tears still stream down her face though, and as the air continues to grow colder around her, frost and ice forming beneath her and fanning out on the street, people begin to disperse. That's when Nixie catches a whiff of his scent. A man whom they should've killed long ago. A man who, if Nixie was correct, still didn't know what she was.

Gerard Argent. Nixie lifts her eyes in that direction, and sure enough, there he is. His small smile of victory makes her sick, and she shines her silver eyes at him.

The smile slips in his confusion. So yes, he still didn't know what she was. And then he stepped back into the shadows of the building he was at, and vanished from sight.

And to Nixie's eternal relief, that's when the rain began to pour. And she knows she's probably thought this before, but she has literally never been more grateful for the rain. Because it causes those few who were still standing around them, to scatter and return to their cars and homes.

Slipping both of her hands beneath Brett and Lori's shirt, one hand on each of them, Nixie syphons away just enough of their pain and internal injuries to ensure they don't die yet. Then she looks up at a still wolfed-out Liam. Reaching into her pocket, she tosses him her phone. "Call Deaton. Tell him I need him to come to the shack in the woods. Brett's been poisoned… and I'm gonna need him to help me too."

Liam snaps his wolf eyes down to her and asks, "What's wrong with you?" "Nothing yet." Sighing, she wraps an arm around Lori first, and then another around Brett. Glancing around one last time, she pulls out her wings. Back to Liam, she says, "Tell Deaton that I'm going to have broken bones. He'll understand what that means." And without another word, she shoots off into the sky, hopefully fast enough that no one peeking out a window would notice.

* * *

Jordan honestly couldn't believe the sight before him when he came back home. Nixie had been gone all the rest of the morning, which he had pretty much expected. And after he'd gone to talk to Noah, seeing what they could do on their front to try and find Brett… well, he hadn't had anything else to do at the office, so he came home.

And now he'd called in to Noah, explaining that he was going to have to take at least one sick day. And why is that?

Because his family is here. His mom, his dad, and his brother, are all here.

On a more positive note, so are Grams and Olivia. After they'd called Jordan to inform him of what was happening, they also decided that he might be able to use some reinforcements. Not that Nixie wasn't a huge reinforcement all on her own. But they were ones that actually knew his parents and dealt with them on a somewhat regular basis.

He's honestly not sure what conversation is taking place right now. His mother has been going on and on, pacing across his living room, but Jordan hasn't really heard any of it. Grams was the one talking to her whenever the woman finally stopped to take a breath.

Having Liv at his side was helping his sanity a little bit… but he really needed Nixie to be here for this. She would make dealing with them seem easy.

That's when his phone rang. The sun was just beginning to start peaking over the horizon, and he fully expected it to be Nixie, telling him that she was sorry she wasn't there by sun-up. She did that sometimes, even though he was constantly telling her she didn't have to apologize. In the end, she'd just say that she already knew she didn't need to, but she wanted to anyway.

But it wasn't Nixie. Alan Deaton is the name that appeared on his screen. Frowning in confusion, and ignoring his mother's shocked gaze because he was taking the call in the middle of their conversation, Jordan asks, "Deaton? What's going on?" "You need to get to the shack. Now."

Jordan doesn't think he's ever actually heard Deaton's voice take on such an urgent tone. The man, even when put under immense pressure and stress, always seemed to be calm and collected. And the air of wisdom that surrounded him only added to that effect. But right now… he sounded worried. Scared, even, which was saying a lot, given all that they'd seen in the past.

Marcus stands up in concern when his little brother immediately moves towards the kitchen, where he'd left his jacket. Not to mention the bit of fear he can see on Jordan's face as he asks, "What's going on? Where's Nixie?"

Deaton answers, "She's at the shack. She's hurt. That's all I know right now. I'm not there myself. But I need you there in a hurry. She'll need support." "Why? What is she doing?" "From what I could gather from Liam, she's going to take away some of Lori and Brett's injuries. Apparently that involves her breaking several of her own bones in the process. We need to get to her quickly, so I can reset them before they begin to heal."

Nodding, Jordan pauses in the hall, glancing back into the living room. His mom and dad looked shocked. His brother… deeply confused and concerned. And his sister and Grams…

Pointing at them, he says, "I need you two with me. You might be able to help." Without hesitation, they began following him out the door.

He's in the truck when his mother, Bianca, hurries into the garage. "Jordan! What's going on?! You can't just leave! I'm trying to tell you…"

The glare in his eyes draws her up short, and with her cut off, he says, "I have to go. My wife needs me. You three stay here."

As soon as they're on the road, Grams asks, "What's happening?" "I have no idea. But um… well, you should probably know a few things before we get there. Like… before Nixie started living with me, she lived with Kira. And before she lived with Kira, she was homeless for a while."

He waits a bit, and then nods when Liv shouts, "WHAT?!"

* * *

When she reached the house in the woods, Nixie landed near the steps of the porch hard. Nearly losing her balance, she shouted, "Churchill! Get out here and help me!"

Churchill was the word that Nixie had decided would be the code for letting the others know that friends were at the door. It was perfect because, A, it was simple. And then B, was that anyone who knew even the slightest thing about Nixie, knew she hated history. Which meant that anyone in this town who knew about her, wouldn't suspect that she'd use a historic name… or anything historic… as the key to getting into this place safely.

But… well, Winston Churchill was a name she remembered. And Winston's name reminded her of that last name. So… that's what she picked. And only the members of the pack would know and understand that. So yeah, it was perfect.

As Winston opens the door, his eyes widen before he jumps down the steps and grabs Brett from Nixie's arm. Carrying him inside, Nixie right behind him with Lori, he asks, "What happened?" "Fucking hunters happened."

They both get laid on one of the beds on the floor, and then Nixie checks her watch. If Deaton had left the clinic immediately, he would be here in time to set her bones before they healed. But even if he hadn't left immediately, Nixie couldn't wait. Brett was continuing to look worse by the minute, and Lori hadn't regained consciousness yet either.

Tabitha comes over and asks, "Is there anything we can do?" Nixie runs her hands over her hair for a moment, and then sighs, "Yeah. Make sure I don't fall over."

The others look at each other in confusion, but Nixie simply kneels down onto the bed in between Brett and Lori. Gripping one of their hands in either of hers, she takes a breath, and then whispers to herself, "Please work."

At first, Winston doesn't actually think anything is happening. And as he looks at the others, he can tell they don't understand either. Penelope is about to ask what the hell she's actually doing.

That's when her first rib cracks. Gritting her teeth, Nixie determines not to scream as her bones continue to crack and break after that. Not to mention all the other internal injuries that she couldn't even imagine she was taking.

Lori's eyes opened briefly, a gasp of relief escaping her lips, and then her head lolled to the side and she was out again. But she was better, and breathing easier, so Nixie releases her hand so she can focus on Brett.

Even though she'd healed his wounds, internal and external at this point, the poison was still running through him. Trying to think a way around that, Nixie winces and hisses when she feels pressure at her right shoulders. Glancing at Lucinda, she asks, "What are you doing?" "Trying to stop your bleeding."

Looking down at the two werewolves on the bed, Lucinda then asks, "How are you taking their injuries?" "I'm a dragon. It's what I do." Then she huffs and says, "But not his poison."

Shaking her head at herself, she squeezes Brett's hand tighter in hers, pleading with her body to do more. She's not sure how she could do more… or how to figure out if there was a supernatural way to accomplish that. But there has to be something.

Winston's eyes widen again when silver lines appear on the backs of Nixie's hands. It looked like the same black lines that would climb up a werewolf's arms when they were taking pain. But Nixie was a dragon, and she didn't get lines from stealing pain. Apparently, she got silver lines, when she was trying to steal something that something from another person's bloodstream.

She's not sure how that exactly relates to why she hadn't been able to steal bone marrow from Noah. Perhaps the fluidity of this problem was a key factor in her ability to steal it when she shouldn't be able to. All she knows… all she even cares about, is that she's doing it. And her already broken body suddenly became more sluggish and weak as she felt the poison invading her system.

Worth noting… no, mountain ash didn't affect her. And on a supernatural level, wolfsbane didn't either. But wolfsbane was lethal to humans too. In strong enough doses, it could kill a normal human being as well.

As the silver lines stretch up her arms, heading for her shoulders, Penelope steps closer and asks, "What's she doing?" Winston bends down to their level, and as black ooze begins leaking from Nixie's nose, he says, "She's killing herself to save him. Penelope, help Lucinda pull her away."

Nixie's eyes snap open at that. Silver glares out at all of them, and a snarl rips its way through her throat before she says, "If you stop me before I've saved him, I will kill you."

All four looked around at each other, and then Winston jerks upright. "Someone's coming." He'd no sooner prepared himself to kill whoever came in though, then he heard Jordan's voice say, "Wait, wait!"

Panting as he approaches Deaton, Jordan says, "Churchill, open the door." Grams raises an eyebrow, "Churchill?" "Nixie's idea. It's the code word. Say it before you try to come in." As the door opens, Winston looks at all of them, and then asks, "Who are they?"

Jordan introduces everyone, and then quickly asks, "Where's Nixie?" Winston backs away from the door, and as Jordan steps inside, he swears his heart actually stops for a moment. Nixie was bleeding, her entire body looked bruised and broken, and black ooze was leaking down her face from her nose.

Tabitha was wiping it away with a cloth as Jordan ran over. "Nixie! Nixie, baby. You need to stop." Opening her silver eyes again, she says, "I… can't. He…" But before she can finish, Brett finally gasps in a breath of air. With that, Nixie releases his hand instantly. Crumbling and falling backwards, she can feel a few tears begin streaming down her face again.

Jordan's arms catch her, moving her off the bed so she lays on the floor with his legs beneath her as she leans against him. And then his lips are in her hair as she says softly, "Everything hurts." Deaton hurries up to her side, and as he examines her, he says, "At least seven ribs, if not more. This is going to hurt." Nixie just nods, giving Jordan's hand a squeeze when he kisses her temple worriedly. Grams moves to Nixie's other side and says, "Tell me how I can help." Deaton nods, "Begin setting the bones on her right. I'll work on the left." "Shouldn't we take turns? Do it slowly? Like you said, this'll hurt."

Liv has to cover her mouth to keep from sobbing when Deaton explains, "It'll hurt worse if we wait too long to set the bones. All her internal injuries heal faster than you could imagine. And if her bones heal improperly, we'll have to break them again to fix them." Nodding, Grams asks, "And her shoulder?" "We'll have to fix that in a minute. Bones first."

And then Brett's voice from the bed asks, "What about the poison?" Jordan gives him a confused look, "What poison? Who poisoned her?" Struggling to make his way over to them, he explains, "I think… she took the poison from me. I was poisoned… but I can feel that it's gone now. I think she took it."

Sighing, Jordan keeps his lips to Nixie's head as he asks, "What were you thinking?" Her mumbled reply is simply, "Save them." "Yeah, I know." Looking up at Deaton, he asks, "What about the rest of us? What can we do?" He puts a hand on Jordan's shoulder, "You just keep holding her. And let your warmth surround her. That will help."

Then he glances at the others in the room. He briefly has the other four inform them of what they are, and then he says, "Winston come here and take one of her hands. Steal what pain from her that you can." Then he turns to Brett, "How are you feeling, Brett?"

Brett just moves to be on Jordan's left since Winston is on his right. Putting a hand on Nixie's shoulder, he says, "Sore. But I'll be fine. Just fix her."

Deaton does do one more thing before that. Drawing Grams in, he whispers something in her ear. And Grams jerks back a little in surprise before then staring down at Nixie worriedly. Deaton's only response is, "She will be fine. We just have to help her heal properly." Jordan would've asked what the hell they were talking about… except Deaton began resetting her bones at that point, and Nixie's entire frame tensed. She didn't scream, or snarl, or growl… but she went rigid in his arms, and her eyes snapped shut.

Jordan kisses the top of her head while watching as black lines start stretching up Winston and Brett's arms. Placing one hand against the side of Nixie's head, Jordan whispers, "We're right here, baby. Okay? We're right here with you." And in his own worry, his heat expands to fill the entirety of the room. Grams glances over at him, and then says in warning, "Deaton… if he gets any hotter around her, we won't…" But Deaton responds, "He knows we won't be able to touch her. That's why the heat is filling the entire space, rather than just cocooning around her."

Brett begins panting from the pain, the lines stretching up to his neck. Nixie opens her silver eyes to look at him, and then says gently, "It's okay." He just shakes his head down at her, "You took all my broken bones from me. I can at least get through this." "I took much from you, but you are still hurt and weary. I can handle it."

But she'd no sooner finished saying that, then a voice from outside shouted, "Churchill!" Liam didn't even wait for someone to open the door after that. He came barreling in, still wolfed out and still pissed as hell.

The second he saw Brett though, his entire frame relaxed and he whispered, "Brett?" And then he sees Lori on the bed and asks, "What's wrong with her?" Brett looks up at him, "She's just unconscious. Nixie saved us. Now get over here and steal your girl's pain."

By the time his hand finds Nixie, taking Brett's place, Liam's features have gone back to normal. Looking Brett over, Liam asks, "How much did she take?" "Damn near everything." "Shit. Nixie…"

Silver eyes dare him to say she shouldn't have, and then they close as Deaton fixes another bone. Sighing in relief, he says, "That's the last on my side. Veronica?" Nodding, she says, "We're good over here. Now the poison." Nodding, Deaton turns to Liv, "In my car, I need the other medical bag. It's in the trunk." She runs out the door to get it, and when she comes back, Deaton is explaining, "Nixie's body is expelling it on its own… just rather slowly."

Brett tilts his head in confusion, "What do you mean?" "I mean, on a supernatural level, wolfsbane doesn't affect Nixie. Same way it doesn't affect Lydia. But on a human level, wolfsbane is still poison to her, the same way it is to everyone if they take in enough of it."

Looking at Jordan, who still looks incredibly worried, Deaton assures, "She will be fine. The wolfsbane won't kill her. But if we let her get it all out on her own, she will feel incredibly ill for the next day or so. Bones and internal brokenness is something Nixie's body heals incredibly fast on its own. But this is a problem of what's been injected into her bloodstream… not something that's torn or broken anymore."

Pulling out a needle and a jar of mixed liquid, Deaton continues, "Normally, I'd say it might be better to let her body heal itself. But…" He and Grams share a look, so Jordan asks, "What? Why shouldn't she now?" Deaton simply puts the needle at her shoulder and says, "Let's just say for now that we don't want her feeling too bad for any great length of time right now. Not that we ever do… but right now in particular." "Why?" "That will come later."

For now, he injects her with a medicinal concoction of his own design. A great deal of it is actually sage, which is a healing plant in itself. The other components he keeps to himself, though he will certainly share with Grams and Liv later. After all, druids are allowed to have a few secrets all their own. Right?

About a minute after he injected her, Nixie squirms and struggles until everyone finally let's her go. Rolling over, she vomits up a pool of black ooze and liquid into the floor. Gasping and panting for breath, she spits out what's left in her mouth, and then mutters, "That's disgusting."

Jordan pulls her back into his arms, taking a cloth that Liv hands him and wiping the black away from her mouth and nose. Sighing, he kisses her clammy forehead and says, "Don't do this to me again." "I couldn't help it. Brett was dying." Jordan just holds her tighter, and then says, "Just don't die on me then. How about that?" "I won't if you won't."

Grinning, he kisses her again and says, "Deal." Deaton has Jordan then move over to the spare bed, keeping Nixie with him. His back against the headboard, he says, "Sleep, Nixie." She mumbles unintelligently for a second, and then simply says, "I love you." "I love you too, baby. Now sleep. I'm not going anywhere."

* * *

When she wakes up, Nixie fists her hand into the material of Jordan's shirt a little tighter. Then she relaxes and sighs in relief. Sitting up and away from him, she runs a hand through her hair, and then winces at the terrible taste that's still resting in her mouth.

A glass of water is presented to her immediately, and she looks up to see Tabitha there. Taking it, Nixie says, "Thanks." "Of course. How are you feeling?" "All things considered, I feel great. Aside from the taste left in my mouth." Tabitha smiles gently, "Yeah, Deaton said that would be the case." "Where's he?" "In the other room. Would you like me to get him?" "No, it's fine. I'm sure he's doing something." "He said you'd say that."

Nixie shrugs, and then laughs when Tabitha moves to go and get him anyway. Then hands gently grip her arms and pull her back so she's leaning against Jordan again. Kissing her temple, he says, "Good morning." Sighing, Nixie replies, "Morning. How did you sleep?" "Pretty well, all things considered. You?" "Like a baby. You are an excellent pillow."

He chuckles quietly at that, and then they both look up at Deaton as he comes in. Sitting on the edge of the bed beside them, he asks, "How do you feel?" "Great." Smiling, Deaton asks, "Hungry?" "Famished. But I think that's actually a staple of my personality, so…" Jordan huffs, and Nixie grins before saying, "But yeah, I'm hungry."

Deaton nods, and then turns to glance towards the other room. Nixie tilts her head that way too, and then her eyes widen. Because the other room, which was supposed to be a kitchen and dining room in one… it was clean. Like, it was spotless. No dust, no cobwebs. There were even dishes and pots and pans and things in there now. Blinking in confusion, Nixie asks, "What happened?"

Melissa peeks her head into the doorway, and then hurries into the room. "We brought some of the extra kitchenware we all have laying around. Scott's been working with Lydia and Malia to tidy it up all the rest of the night. Liam and Mason are out getting all the food we might need for a while.

Bending down to Nixie, she asks, "How are you feeling, sweetheart?" "Great. I feel fine. I really wish people would stop asking that now." Jordan pinches her side, but then simply holds her tighter as he says, "You didn't see yourself, Nixie. You looked like you were dying." "You say that as though it's never happened before."

His weary sigh makes her turn to look at him. And the concern that's there on her face calms him slightly. He still shakes his head though and says, "Don't push it with the sarcasm this morning Nixie. Alright?" When she tilts her head at him, he kisses her cheek and says, "I have never seen you so broken. Pale, clammy, shivering… you looked like you were about to die in my arms. And I know you didn't… and I know there's a lot that you can take. But don't push it this morning. Alright? I'm still at the end of my rope."

Nixie's response is to kiss him gently on the lips before saying, "I'm sorry." He draws her in to kiss her again, and then sighs in relief before saying, "I know. It's alright." Then he looks up at Deaton and says, "You can bring the others in now."

And by others… he meant everyone. Nixie has no idea how they all managed to be hiding in the kitchen, which was considerably smaller than the living room they're in. But her entire pack pours into the living room at that, and the four others from Eichen, and Brett and Lori. Nixie's eyes widen when she sees her mom as well. Naomi runs forward upon making eye contact and throws her arms around both Nixie and Jordan. Crying, she says, "I was so worried." "I'm fine, mom." "I know that now. But I'd never seen… what you go through when you take these injuries. I've only seen the after." Leaning back to look at her daughter, Naomi says, "You looked like a ghost."

Nixie cups her mother's face and says gently, "I know… but I'm fine. Everything is fine. Right Doc?" Deaton nods, and then grins when Naomi says, "You still have to be more careful. I'm only just getting back into this world. I can't lose you so soon." "You won't. I have no intention of dying. Bringing myself to the brink to save my friends, sure. But actually dying? Hell no."

As her mother laughs, Nixie glances back at Jordan and mouths, "Sorry." He just shakes his head and kisses her temple before whispering, "I love you." She smiles at that, and then turns to look at Scott. "So… what'd I miss?"

They all work to fill her in on what little she did miss, including the fact that some kid named Nolan had exposed Cory by stabbing him in the back of the hand with a pen. Frowning deeply, Nixie turns to Cory and asks, "Where is he? What does he look like? And how would you like me to kill him?" Cory grins a bit, and then says, "I'd prefer if you didn't kill him. We're about to be in enough hot water as it is." "Great. Because we don't have enough problems as it is right now."

Liam and Mason then show up, bags and bags of food in their arms. Nixie has no idea how they expect to keep it all here, until Chris then explains that he'd figured out a way to get electricity flowing in this place. It wasn't strictly speaking 'legal'… but it's not like anyone here really had a problem with that.

It was after an amazing breakfast that everyone who was leaving prepared to head home. Brett and Lori, since they were still considered dead right now, would be staying at the shack with the other four, until a better solution presented itself.

Six people staying in a house that was barely considered large enough for one person. That was going to be interesting.

Nixie was loading up into Jordan's truck, when Deaton came up to their side and says, "I need a word in private with both of you." He waits for another vehicle to venture past them, and then motions for Grams to join him. Looking between them both, Nixie asks, "What? Is something wrong?" "Not yet, my dear."

He and Grams share a look, and then Deaton explains, "I got the results of the tests back that I did on you. And… we think we know what's going on?" Nixie huffs, "Great. There actually is something wrong with me." "Nothing is wrong with you, Nixie. But… something has changed."

At Nixie's confused expression, Grams begins by asking, "Are you hungrier than usual?" Nixie shrugs, but then turns to Jordan when he says, "Yeah, actually." At her raised eyebrow, Jordan explains, "I know you call it a staple of who you are. But up until the past few days, when you've been gallivanting to save your friends, I haven't had to force you to stay behind and eat actual food. And you have been eating more than usual."

Frowning, Nixie turns back to Deaton and Grams. "Okay… I guess I am then. So what?" Grams nods, "And… your sex drive? That's spiked?" Nixie blushes, but nods in confirmation. Grams nods back again, and then says, "Nixie… you and Jordan… have you been using any kind of protection during sex?"

Nixie's entire face flames red at that, but she shakes that embarrassment away before saying, "Um… no. We're married, so… we don't have to do that. And…" Jordan's hands squeeze her shoulders a bit, and he says, "I don't think that's what they're getting at."

Seeing the stunned look on his face, Nixie asks, "What? What are you getting at then? What's going on?" Deaton and Grams share another look, and then Grams says, "Nixie… you're pregnant. At least a month."

Stunned silence engulfs the area for a moment, and then Nixie says, "Shit."

Jordan blinks and looks at her in confusion. Why was her being pregnant a bad thing? They'd talked about kids before, and he knew she wanted them. But then Nixie says, "I mean… this is great! This is… oh my God!"

Her hands move down to land on her stomach gently, as though she could somehow already cradle the tiny person growing inside of her. But then she says, "But… seriously?! Right now?! In a time when this entire town is about to turn against us?! I mean… shit!"

Jordan wraps her in his arms and presses a firm kiss to the side of her head. "It'll be alright. We can keep you and the baby safe." "Jordan, let's be real, please. She has a mother who's a dragon. I can't just sit back while my friends fight. And aside from doing that, how am I supposed to better protect her?"

He doesn't have an answer for that, but he does kiss her again and say, "We'll figure it out. Besides, 'she' is already precious to you. And just like all the others, you won't let anything bad happen to her."

Then he leans back and asks, "She?" Nixie blushes, but then says, "I just… already picture a little girl. With your amazing reddish brown hair, and my striking blue eyes."

Jordan grins at that, and then laughs when Nixie adds, "And maybe preprogrammed with all the sarcasm that Stiles has passed on to me. Cause that would be kind of amazing."

* * *

And that's Chapter 3! And just so you are all updated on this... I have finally finished writing the story for 6b! Yay! Now I just have to reread it, edit what I can find, and get it posted. But it is all together now people. So close! Hope you're enjoying! :)


	4. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I maker her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 4: Episode 6x14

When Jordan parked in the garage, Liv and Veronica went ahead and got out, heading back inside to try and head off the more hysterical outburst that might be the greeting Bianca would give them. After all, Jordan had just up and left. No explanation or reason or promise of returning.

Not that he should've had to provide one. It wasn't like he was a child anymore. He was a grown man who could make up his own mind for himself. His parents didn't have any control over his life or the decisions he made.

He was still wary of going back in to see them again, but his entire body relaxed when Nixie says, "If it's them talking that's the issue, there is a whole roll of duck-tape in the last drawer in the kitchen. Shutting them up is not a problem." Chuckling, Jordan asks, "You really think everything can be fixed with that?" "No. But when stubbornness and determination turn out to not be sufficient enough, duck-tape usually helps bring everything back full-circle."

She grins as he laughs again. Sighing, he turns to face her, "I think being the emotional one is supposed to be your job now that you're pregnant. So why am I the one this stressed out?" "Because it's your parents, not mine." Then Nixie adds, "Also, apparently my pregnancy doesn't cause me to want to cry spontaneously for no reason. It just makes me want to have sex with you a lot more than normal."

Jordan raises an eyebrow, "I think I should be offended that it takes a baby to keep you in bed." "Oh, shut up!" They both laugh though, and then Nixie says, "Whatever happens, they don't scare me. And if they end up being disrespectful, I will throw them out. Literally. I'll actually pick them up by their shirts and throw them out the door. It'll be quite a spectacle. Someone should take pictures."

Jordan grins again, and then sighs. Kissing her gently, he says, "I love you." "I love you too, Jordan. Now… let's go and introduce me to my in-laws."

When they get in the door, the first thing they hear is Liv shouting, "He's not coming back to Virginia! He likes it here! And you're just going to have to deal with it!" Jordan and Nixie glance at each other, and then Nixie shrugs, "Well… she's not wrong." He kisses her temple in response, and then sighs before muttering, "Lord, help me." And then he grins again when Nixie says, "He already is. He brought you to me. And in case you haven't noticed, I'm kind of awesome."

He's still grinning like an idiot when they get to the living room, where Bianca is standing in shock and Liv is glaring back at her across the coffee table.

Now Nixie knows that all the Parrish children got their reddish-brown hair from their father. Carson Parrish had more of it on his head, parted on the left side, whereas Jordan and Marcus both had short hair that was easier to take care of. And in Nixie's opinion, it was a much better look for them. All of them had the same even skin-tone as well. Bianca, on the other hand, had long blonde hair. Her skin was white and nearly flawless… so much so that Nixie blinked to make sure she wasn't missing something. The woman had to be in her forties or fifties at least… but she didn't look it at all. There were a few lines forming on her face now, but considering how old she should be, there most definitely should've been more.

Nixie's sharp eyes can see the faint scars of past surgeries that had taken place to help keep that youthful appearance. Though, judging from the fact that she had some lines now, Nixie could wager that the woman had stopped having such surgeries at least a few years ago. Why she'd suddenly stopped them wasn't apparent… but she had.

Probably why the woman didn't look like an exact replica of a china doll at the moment. Any more surgeries or fakeness about her, and Nixie might've wondered if she was actually a real person, and not just a statue or something.

In any case, Nixie then glanced at Marcus, whose eyes were on her. That might've been more because of the fact that Nixie was clothed in jeans with a tear in them, and Liv's jacket. It was zipped up tight, all the way to her neck, covering the scars that Nixie certainly wasn't prepared to show these people. Nixie takes note that, while Carson was well-built, though he was certainly a lanky person now, Marcus was built more like Jordan was. Both clearly worked out in a similar regimen to keep themselves in shape.

Nixie, in her own opinion, considers Jordan to carry an air of wisdom about him though that the rest of his family doesn't. Even compared to Liv, which Nixie wouldn't mean as any kind of disrespect to her. But Jordan had been to war, and served two tours in Afghanistan. He was also a hellhound, who was part of a supernatural pack that was constantly trying to save everyone around them, and getting into a hell of a lot of trouble in the process.

Bottom line, Jordan had seen much more of this world then they had ever taken the time to see. And in that, Jordan was the one that looked like the older brother, even if Marcus was truly older in age.

One last thing Nixie notes is that, though the children had all gotten their basic appearance from their father, they had all obtained their hazel eyes from their mother. Quite a combination, in Nixie's opinion. A good one, obviously, since she'd married the man she considered to be the hottest man alive; both figuratively and literally.

Bianca finally looks over to Jordan and Nixie. Eyes widening a bit, Bianca says, "You're Nixie?" Nodding, Nixie says, "Pleasure to meet you Mrs. Parrish." When the woman just continues to stare, Nixie drops the pleasantries and says in her usual manner, "I could be wrong, but I'm fairly certain that staring is considered to be rude. Also, you should close your mouth. Our house is lovely, but flies still make their way in here from time to time."

Turning to glance at Jordan, she says, "We need a trap for them or something." His answering grin held more endearment than Nixie felt she'd earned from him yet, but she didn't exactly complain when he kissed the side of her neck as she turned to face the room again.

Bianca shakes herself out of her surprise, and then says, "I… sorry. I just… you… you're so young." Nixie raises an eyebrow at that, and then asks, "And?"

The woman apparently can't think of a reply, so Nixie turns to look at Jordan again. Upon hearing his mother's apology beforehand, Nixie had felt him freeze for a moment, and then his confusion permeated through the rest of his aura. Consequently, Nixie sought out the auras of the other people in the room at this point… and she couldn't sense anything wrong with them. They weren't perfect people, that was certain. They might not even be the best of people… but they certainly weren't the worst people in the world. Nixie wouldn't have gone out of her way to befriend them, the way she had all her other friends, if these particular people weren't related to Jordan. But… they were descent people.

Which didn't exactly fit with the picture Jordan had painted for her up to this point. Something must've changed at some point. Judging from Liv and Jordan's confusion… even Grams' confusion… an apology seemed to be one of the last things ever expected to come out of Bianca's mouth.

Nixie would have to work on figuring out what had changed and why. She also wanted to use her second sight to actually see the auras around them. But that would cause her eyes to change, and that would most certainly garner some unwelcome questions at this point. So for now, since it appeared that a conversation definitely needed to take place, Nixie turns to Jordan and says, "I'm hungry. Can we talk over breakfast? And do we have bacon now, because I am still sorely disappointed that we didn't have it earlier."

Jordan stares at her for a minute, but then chuckles in a relieved way. Kissing her forehead, he says, "We have bacon, eggs, biscuits, and salted ham. What would you like?" "Is all of it an option? Because all of it would be fantastic."

He kisses her again, and then heads into the kitchen to start cooking. Nixie moves that way too, but then pauses and turns to everyone else. Motioning towards the kitchen, she says, "Well… come on. We can't exactly talk if you're all in here and I'm in there."

She sat down on the side of the island that faced the stove, Jordan at her back as he began preparing to cook some food. She also heard him cut the coffee pot on, and she sighed in relief that he was ahead of her in thinking about that. Liv and Grams entered the room right behind her, Liv taking a seat next to Nixie, and Grams pulling a stool around to sit on the corner next to where Nixie was.

Nixie couldn't help noticing that they were trying to create a protective bubble around her. Even if they were confused… and maybe even hopeful, concerning Bianca's strange behavior and apology… they still weren't too keen on allowing them to get but so close to Nixie. They didn't trust whatever change had happened. Or maybe they didn't yet think it was real. Perhaps they thought it was an act, so that Jordan's family could convince him to move home with them.

Why they would want him now, after his mother had cut off contact with him, Nixie has no idea. Furthermore, if the picture Jordan and Liv had painted of them was accurate, then Nixie didn't understand why his mother and father would expect him to listen to anything they had to say. But… she'd just have to wait and see what happened in this situation.

She just prays it doesn't take long to figure out. Considering how quickly everything was escalating in this town, it wouldn't be long before the war that was brewing began trying to creep into their homes. By the time that happened, Jordan's parents and brother needed to already be gone.

Jordan is still working on Nixie's coffee when Marcus walks in. He takes the seat directly across from Nixie, his eyes watching her intensely. She's not sure what he's searching for there. But she does know one thing, so she says bluntly, "I guarantee the answer to whatever question you have isn't going to magically appear in writing on my face. So ask your questions aloud, and I'll see what I can do for you."

Bianca and Carson enter the room now too, both taking seats on either side of Marcus. The oldest sibling finally takes a breath, and then he asks, "Why'd you marry my brother?" Nixie raises an eyebrow, "Because I'm in love with him. Obviously." Marcus narrows his eyes suspiciously, but then leans back in shock when Nixie says, "If you wanted to play the protective-older-brother card, you should've attempted that before your brother signed up to join the army. That would've been your prime moment of opportunity. Now he's a grown man, and he is smart enough and old enough to make his own decisions."

Shrugging, she adds, "And he decided to love me. Quirky though I may be." Jordan reaches around to place her mug in front of her, and then places his hands on her shoulders. Squeezing gently, he says, "I wouldn't say quirky." "What would you call me then?" "Sarcastically witty. Maybe stubborn as hell." Closer to her ear, he whispers, "Beautiful comes to mind."

Nixie grins and turns her head so she can kiss his cheek. Then she picks up her mug. Sighing at the aroma she breathes in, she says, "You're a saint, babe." He chuckles before returning to the stove to check on the eggs.

Marcus is still staring at her in surprise, so Bianca leans forward and says, "We… that is… well, we…" Nixie tilts her head curiously, and so Bianca sighs before pushing on. "We… have been doing some thinking for the past couple of years. About certain things. The way we used to act and the things we used to think we could demand from all of our children. And… we know that wasn't fair of us. We expected you to follow in our footsteps blindly, and didn't consider what you may actually grow up to want out of life."

Taking a breath, she continues, "I mean… you hear about so many family businesses that just keep getting passed down from one generation to the next. And we… we wanted that to be our family. But…"

When she pauses again, Carson leans forward as well and finishes for her. "Marcus is in our business. And he loves what we do. He'll take over when that time comes. But even if he weren't interested in it at all… it would be no reason to cut him off."

Glancing at his son at the stove, who has yet to face them again, Carson says, "We wasted so much time… being selfish. We don't want to waste anymore. We want to be a family again."

When the pause lasts for a while, Nixie tilts her head again. Then she turns to Liv and asks, "So why were you yelling at them that we aren't moving?" Liv is about to reply, but Bianca lifts her head hopefully and asks, "So… you'll come? To Virginia?"

Nixie lets out a bark of laughter, and then says, "No! Why on earth would you think that?" "But… you just said…" "I asked Liv why she was yelling at you that we weren't going to move. As in, what had prompted her to start yelling that? Because as of yet, you haven't actually brought up the subject to me. Consequently, you really should've asked me or Jordan first, since we're the ones who get the final say on that."

Bianca sighs, "It's… we want to be a family. And we can't do that if we aren't around each other. If you two would move to Virginia, we could work on it there. Carson and I are working less hours, spending more time with Marcus and with actual friends. We… we just…"

But Bianca's eyes widen, right along with Carson's… and even Jordan turns to look at his wife in a bit of surprise, when Nixie simply says, "You're just being selfish. Again, I might add."

When the three people on the other side of the table seem to be confused, Nixie just shakes her head before explaining. "You want to be a family again. You want your son to move to Virginia. You want to make up for lost time. You want to start doing things right, now that you can see you did so many things wrong." Hardening her eyes, she emphasizes, "You… 'You want'… Do you see the pattern there?"

Bianca opens her mouth, closes it again, and then repeats. But apparently she can't think of anything to say back to that. Nixie simply shrugs, not about to apologize for what she's said. Then she says, "Your son made due without you. As a child who had every right to feel neglected, he settled for being raised by his grandparents. As a high school graduate looking to go to college to be a cop, he pushed past being cut off from your aid, and joined the army. He would've joined anyway. Jordan has an amazing sense of duty and honor that makes up a great deal of who he is. But he joined it right out of high school, because the army would pay for his college education, when his parents wouldn't dare lift a finger to help him. And when he came back, rather than face what he knew would be a lecture on what a mistake he'd made, he chose to go elsewhere to follow his passions and dreams."

Jordan felt the temperature in the room drop, and he quickly pushed his own heat against it to balance it out. Nixie still appeared, for the most part, calm to the rest of the room. But talking about all of this was riling her up. And he could hear it in her tone when she continues, "You drove your son away. In your selfishness, you made him leave because he wouldn't fit into the mold you'd tried to make for him."

Glaring at them now, Nixie says, "And you think, in your twisted heads, that you can fix all of that by trying to, once again, force your son into doing something he doesn't want to do." When the other three can't come up with a response for that, Nixie stands and says, "You're all stupid. Or arrogant, one of the two. And there is no place for either in this house. You may stay for breakfast, since I already offered it. But there will be no more talk about trying to make us move. Our home is here. Our family is here. And we've worked rather hard to keep it and protect it. We will not leave."

She turns towards the stove while adding, "After breakfast, we'll direct you to a nice motel in town. Or you can find a place on your own. It's up to you." At Jordan's side, she stays there for a moment, just standing silently and fuming for a bit. Then she sighs and asks, "Anything I can do?" Jordan hands her a can of biscuits to put on a pan, and by the time she sets them out, the oven is finally preheated. Then he has her get the salted ham out of the fridge.

Her hand runs up his back for a moment, and then she whispers, "Sorry. Almost lost my cool. Pun obviously intended." Jordan shakes his head with a grin, and then turns to face her. Cupping her face in his hands, he kisses her deeply for a moment, and then smiles before whispering, "You can blame it on pregnancy hormones after they're gone."

Nixie ponders that a moment, and then grins before saying, "She's being a huge help to me already. Our kid is awesome." "Was there ever any doubt?" "Never!"

* * *

The entire rest of the weekend found Nixie keeping herself very busy. There was no time to deal further with Jordan's parents and brother, even though they kept calling and trying to visit again.

Nixie and Jordan both decided that the baby had to be kept under wraps for now. It worried Nixie a bit that she knew she was still going to try and protect everyone around her, even with her baby. But Jordan had all the confidence in the world that, if any true danger began to befall her, or the baby, then Nixie would switch gears and defend this new little life at all costs.

With that in mind, they both decided that Scott shouldn't know. He would want to baby her, and protect her more than she would be able to handle. And as far as the others were concerned… well, Nixie felt that they would act very much the same. There was only one other person in the pack she was trusting with this information right now, aside from Deaton and Grams, who already knew.

Lydia. Scott and Stiles would forever be Nixie's boys. They understood her in ways that no one else ever would. But Lydia was Nixie's girl… and there were things that Lydia knew that the boys would never understand. Things Lydia had seen and experienced within her banshee powers that helped her better understand what drove Nixie to such great lengths.

Bottom line, Lydia could keep it a secret. And Lydia wouldn't baby her into doing practically nothing in this upcoming war. But, Lydia would keep an eye on Nixie when the others couldn't. She could maybe stop Nixie from doing something rash or instinctive, and refocus her on thinking about the baby, and then on a better way to handle the situation. Preferably, one that involved as little danger as possible.

Right… because there was going to be time to avoid danger given everything that was happening.

Nixie knows that Lydia doesn't take the knowledge lightly. The hug they'd shared was one of great joy, and Lydia actually had tears forming in her eyes. But Lydia also knows why she's the only being told.

Nixie can feel it in the way Lydia is glancing at her now, as Scott stands on the other side of the table from them. Holding up Brett's bloody lacrosse stick, he says, "This wasn't just an accident, or even a simple trap for a werewolf. This was attempted murder, by the new hunter of Beacon Hills."

Eyes cutting over to Nixie, he adds, "Thanks to Nixie, we know they failed. And thanks to the shack, we know that they think they succeeded. But the problem still remains that, someone new is out there, and they're trying to hunt down supernatural creatures."

He turns to Chris, "When he took out the hellhound, we thought it was luck. That we were dealing with an amateur." When Scott pauses and looks to Nixie, Chris knows he's not going to like this. Nixie providing information wasn't strange. But when everyone in the room paused to let her deliver it, it was almost guaranteed that it was because the person receiving it would not like it. And Nixie delivering it didn't really soften the blow a lot… but no one ever doubted her when she gave it now. She either gave you the facts, or she gave you her honest opinion based on what she'd seen and heard so far. And it was practically a given that she was never wrong. Not with all the new skills and sights she kept obtaining as a dragon.

Giving him a sorry look, Nixie says, "We know that whoever this new hunter is… he has a teacher." Chris takes a moment to consider that, and then pinches the bridge of his nose before saying, "Gerard." Nixie nods, but then shakes her head when Chris adds, "Which means this is my fault. I'm the one who let him go." Lydia runs a hand up Nixie's back and says, "There's nothing you could've done Chris."

Of course, Malia obviously disagrees, and says as much, "He could've killed him." Chris gives that idea a thoughtful shrug, which Nixie can't help grinning at. Because at this point, given all that Gerard had done and tried to do in the past, Chris wouldn't really have a problem if it came down to that. Lydia gives Malia a look though, so the were-coyote edits, "I'm just saying."

Sighing, Lydia emphasizes, "We're not executioners." But then, to Nixie's surprise, Malia counters back with, "You are when it comes to war."

Malia smiles a bit when Nixie pats her on the back and says, "I'm with Malia. For the greater good, Gerard should be removed from the equation." Scott gives Nixie a look now and says, "Don't encourage her." Nixie and Malia just grin at each other, and then Scott says, "And besides, that's why we're going to make peace."

And even though Lydia is not up for executing the man, even she looks at Scott dubiously and asks, "With Gerard?" Scott gives them all a look, and then says, "Guys… we know what's coming. Lydia's heard it. And we all keep using the same word." Chris nods, "War."

After a moment of silence, everyone trying to let that thought sink in, Malia asks, "So… what stops a war from happening?" Chris offers up, "Peace summit." Scott points to Chris in approval, "Right. We meet face-to-face with Gerard. Find out what he wants. And then we stop all of this before it gets any worse."

Nixie shakes her head sharply, "Bad idea." "Nixie…" "Scott, I'm not being sarcastic and I'm not joking." And then she points to Lydia in agreement when the banshee says, "The last time Gerard was at a peace summit was with Deucalion. He blinded him and then killed everybody else, including his own men!"

A snarl then tries to climb up in Nixie's throat when Chris says, "I'll go. We know he's not going to kill me." Malia tilts her head, "You sure about that?" Chris glances over to answer, but then sighs when Nixie says for him, "No, we are most definitely not sure about that." "Nixie, I can handle myself." "So can Gerard."

When Chris tilts his head at her curiously, Nixie shrugs. "What? I hate the man, alright. Doesn't mean I'm stupid about it. Would it be helpful if he was a helpless old man who couldn't hunt supernatural creatures anymore, and couldn't find access to all sorts of deadly weaponry? Hell yeah, that would be most helpful. But it's not true. We're talking about the man who initially raised you. This is the guy who taught you how to hunt. And Chris, you're the best that we know. Which means you were trained by one of the best. Which means that, though we certainly don't like admitting it, Gerard is one of the best hunters out there. And, unfortunately for us, he's gone and found himself another, much more eager, protégé."

No one argues with her on that point, but the fact of the matter remained that someone needed to meet with Gerard. Finally, Scott says, "All we need is to find out what he wants. Then we can bargain." Chris glances at Nixie again, and then sighs, "Scott… even if he does agree… his terms might be difficult to meet." Scott nods, "That's why it's a negotiation. I don't expect to get anything without giving something up."

Chris nods in understanding, but then emphasizes, "Then you're going to have to figure out just how much you're willing to give… and how far you're willing to go to stop a war."

Scott begins pondering that, but as Chris makes to leave, Scott catches his arm. Nodding towards Nixie, he says, "Take her with you." "Gerard isn't going to talk to me if he sees any other supernatural creatures in the area. And he might not know what she is yet, but he knows she is something."

Scott nods, but then turns to Nixie. "You have to stay out of sight." Nixie removes her shirt in response, revealing the leather outfit underneath. Scales rippling across her body, she says, "I can do that." Chris turns to Scott again, but before he can protest, Scott shakes his head. "Nixie's the fastest of us. If something starts to really go wrong, or if Gerard does try to kill you, she's the one that will be able to make it in to save you. You're not going alone. It's not an option."

When Chris leans back in surprise, Scott shrugs, but then points to Nixie and says, "Her rule. No one goes to face that man alone. Ever."

And in spite of it all, everyone grins when Nixie adds, "We're also not allowed to go anywhere in Beacon Hills alone. Ever. For any reason. And if anyone so much as giggles at me right now, I'm hitting all of you. I'm serious."

* * *

In a sub-basement level, hidden somewhere even further down then the tunnels beneath this town, Chris glances at Nixie as she looks at her phone. When she sighs worriedly, he asks, "What's wrong?"

Nixie shrugs it off, but as Chris gives her a look, she says, "Liam just had to give up his spot as team captain. Otherwise a fight would've broken out." Shaking her head, she adds, "He's a junior. He's just sixteen. This shouldn't be happening to him."

Chris nods, but says, "You and Scott and Stiles were dealing with similar situations as freshmen. Why's this different?" "Because we're supposed to be better at this by now."

At his confused look, Nixie sighs. "We… we've been through so much, Chris. We've suffered, we've lost, we've conquered and vanquished. Isn't there… I mean, isn't there supposed to be a point where… where finally we can see an approaching problem, move a few necessary pieces, and then avoid it altogether before it becomes a problem that has to affect our everyday lives."

Shrugging, she adds, "He's just a kid. A good kid, with a good heart. The supernatural shit we deal with should only be allowed to bleed so much into what happens when dealing with the rest of the world."

Chris' arm slips around her. "You're right. It's not fair. To any of you. But Liam knows he still has you guys. And even if he can't be captain, you know Coach would never completely kick him off the team. That risks pissing you off, and Coach is at least smart enough to not do that on purpose."

Nixie grins at that, and then sighs as they turn another corner. Chris squeezes her shoulders, and then asks, "You been sleeping alright?" "Yeah… all things considered." When he gives her a look, she stops them in the hall and takes a breath. Finally, she says, "You can't tell the others. Not yet anyway." "Why not?" "Because they need to stay focused on preventing a war before it starts."

Chris nods a hesitant assent to her request, and then his eyes widen when Nixie says, "I've… been rounding them up. All that I can find at least." "Who?" "All the supernatural creatures."

When Chris' mouth actually drops to hang open, Nixie adds on, "It was… it was just Satomi at first. Just her and the ones that had remained with her so far. Brett told me where to find her, so I gathered them up and brought them to the shack. And then… Satomi apparently knows a lot of the others in Beacon Hills, and how to find them. So whenever she gets wind of one of them being in trouble, or finds out where they are, she calls me, and I go and get them."

Running a hand through her hair, Nixie says, "There's… I think there's about twenty people at the shack now. Maybe more, I kind of lost count. Brett said he'd keep track of everyone." Chris runs a hand over his face, "How are they all fitting?" "I'm not entirely sure. Satomi says the space upstairs is actually roomier than people would originally think. But… I honestly don't know how they're all fitting in there."

As they both stand there for a moment, Chris says, "We need a better solution." "Believe me, I know that. I've been trying to think of one… but I can't come up with anything else that doesn't have a hell of a lot of potential disasters surrounding it." "What about my house?" Nixie smiles in appreciation, but says, "Gerard is the teacher, so whoever the new hunter is, they know you're on our side. Consequently, I tried to think if any of our houses would be possible options, and I can't see how any of them are."

They ponder that more, and then Chris asks, "What about Lydia's lake house?" Nixie pauses on that one, but then shakes her head, "It's still too closely tied to Lydia. Someone would look there too." "What about the boat house then? Down by the lake? If someone starts coming, they could get on a boat to escape, or just hide in the water until everyone leaves."

Nixie runs a hand over her head, but then shakes it again, "The boathouse is lined with mountain ash wood. If anyone figured that out, they'd be able to trap everyone inside, and there'd be no escape."

They stand there a moment more, and then Chris sighs before saying, "We need more help." Nixie nods in agreement with that, but then says, "Until then… the shack will have to make due. Somehow."

Walking further up the hall, Chris then stops Nixie again and says, "Alright. Stay back here. Keep your ears open. Hopefully, nothing will happen, and I'll be out quickly with an answer for Scott." "Good. Fair warning, if I hear a gun cock, I'm barging in and wrapping you in my wings. So… don't let him." "For you, I will do my best."

Nixie grins at that, and then hides herself in a shadowed corner of this tunnel while Chris moves to talk with Gerard.

But, as she'd expected, that turned out to be a rather fruitless endeavor. Gerard had no interest in bargaining. Particularly with his own son, who was actually the last person to ever shoot him. Gerard's only message to bring back to Scott, is for him to run. For all of them to run.

Nixie is rolling her eyes, because obviously that wasn't going to happen. But then she tunes in again sharply when Gerard says, "Oh, Chris. Do tell Miss Haven that she's welcome to stay if she wishes."

Facing his father again, Chris asks, "Why Nixie?" Gerard smirks, but says, "Because she's intriguing. And it might be nice to have a pet to keep around." Chris would've launched himself across the table at Gerard, if not for the sudden chill that shot straight up his left arm. Nixie was listening, and Nixie was telling him to not give in. This is what Gerard wanted. To provoke him, and to maybe learn more about Nixie in the process. He wanted information, and Nixie didn't want Chris giving it to him. One of the only advantages they had right now, was what little information Gerard didn't already have. They couldn't afford to give him anything else.

The smirk leaves Gerard's face when Chris turns back around and walks out anyway. Meeting Nixie further up the tunnel, he says, "You all need to leave. He's never gonna stop. And you… you definitely need to leave."

Nixie stares at him for a second like he's grown a second head. Then she says, "Chris, you know that's not how we operate. That's definitely not how I operate. I never run. We never give up. We stay. We fight. We save people."

Chris looks about to argue, but Nixie just holds up her hand to stop him. "Chris, my entire life is here. My husband is here. My pack is here. Everyone that matters to me, is here. Those few who aren't here, they keep me updated, and inform me when anything, good or bad, happens to them. But the majority of my people are here, and so here is where I stay."

Eyes shining silver for a moment, Nixie adds, "And Gerard isn't taking that from me. I understand the need for a peace summit. I understand how necessary it is to try and stop this war from even starting. But Chris, make no mistake. If Gerard is determined to have his war, then he will get it. And I will be on the very front lines, helping Scott lead the charge against him."

Moving to continue up the hall, she adds, "And a frozen hell will be following right behind me."

* * *

Chris and Melissa are talking inside the house, Chris still trying to urge them all to run, and Melissa declaring that she has never told them to hide, and she will not start now. While that's happening, Scott and Nixie are out on the porch.

Glancing over at her, Scott asks, "You okay?" "Yeah. Why?" "You've been awful quiet."

Nixie shrugs to that, but then sighs. "We've fought hunters before, Scott. We've fought an alpha pack, and an evil durach. We fought off Japanese demons, ancient evil doctors, and the beast. We've fought before. We've been to war before, Scott."

Shaking her head before looking at him, she asks, "So why does this particular war feel so much bigger? I mean… its hunters again. A new generation of them… one that certainly doesn't have some moral code to guide them… but its hunters. It's humans with shotguns and crossbows. It just… it feels like we've faced worse than this before. So why does this feel like it's bigger… and badder, than any of the rest of what we've faced in the past."

They sit in silence for a moment, and then Scott says gently, "Maybe because, all those other wars we fought… we were fighting to keep everyone safe. And I don't just mean our pack. We were fighting to keep Beacon Hills, all of it, safe."

Running a hand through his own hair, he says, "And now Beacon Hills, at least the majority of it, is turning against us. I mean, we've gone through so much for them. We've nearly died for them countless times. And now, the very people we fought so hard to keep safe… they're the ones trying to kill us."

Silence again, and then Nixie looks at him. Clasping her hands in front of her, she says, "I know you want peace, Scott. And I want, more than anything, for that to work out in the end. I want peace too." Scott nods, and Nixie continues, "But… Gerard has no intention of making peace. And if his eager protégé is really following him to the letter, then they don't either."

Reaching over, she puts her hand over his, and then says, "War is coming. If you manage to stop it somehow, that's great. But I can feel it, Scott. We're balancing on the edge of a sword at the moment, but I can already feel us slipping towards this fight to come."

Scott doesn't quite understand what she's trying to get at yet. But then his eyes soften when Nixie says, "I… will not lose any of you. Do you understand, Scott? I can't. Not to this. So if it comes down to it, I will not hesitate. I will make my way through this whole town, killing everyone that is a threat to you, and to our pack."

Lifting her eyes to his, she says, "I would wipe out the entire world population, if that's what it takes to keep you and everyone else that matters to me safe. Without hesitation, Scott."

He knew she was putting it into some pretty extreme terms, but she just wanted him to understand how serious she was. Beacon Hills, the place itself, didn't matter to her. If they could all manage to pack up and just move to a different town, then Nixie wouldn't care about staying. She was only devoted to Beacon Hills, because it was the home of everyone that she loved. She was only devoted to all the rest of the people, because Scott was her alpha, and he wanted to do everything he could to save everyone. Always.

But there was no mistaking her tone. Alpha or not, Scott would not be able to prevent her from killing anyone that came close to killing them.

Picking up her hands in his now, Scott presses a kiss to her knuckles. Then he says gently, "I know. And if nothing else, I promise you this. If it comes down to that… if we try everything we can, and still can't find a way to end this war peacefully…" Looking up into her eyes, he finishes, "I won't be the idiot that tries to stop you."

Nixie smiles a bit at him, and then rolls her eyes when a faint roll of thunder is heard in the distance. Wiping at the few tears that had been building in her eyes, she says, "When this is finally over, first thing I'm gonna do is research on how the hell I can control when I call up a rainstorm. Because this is absolutely ridiculous."

Scott laughs at her, and then looks down at his phone when he gets a text from Liam. Nixie gets one at the same time, and then raises an eyebrow and asks, "Who the hell is Ms. Monroe?" Scott lifts his head and says, "Oh! She's the new guidance counselor. Liam mentioned her to me. So she…"

They both look at each other, and then Nixie sighs before saying, "For the record, the plan I can see you coming up with right now. I disapprove. Highly disapprove." Scott just kisses her on top of the head before heading into the house. Because Gerard might not be willing to negotiate right now… but maybe Monroe would.

Of course, Nixie hadn't known just how much she was going to disapprove of Scott's new plan. But let's just say, the scale for disapproval doesn't go high enough, to properly express how deeply displeased Nixie is with this plan.

* * *

This part definitely hadn't set well with her. The part where Lydia was the one being sent to talk to Tamora Monroe. Because as far as supernatural creatures went, Lydia was the most defenseless.

Don't get Nixie wrong. Lydia has improved drastically in her skills as a banshee, and in her fighting technique since Jordan and Nixie had begun training her. But the fact remained that Lydia didn't sprout claws and longer teeth. She also didn't heal rapidly or have supernatural speed and strength. Lydia sensed death, heard approaching chaos and doom, and she could scream. So if Monroe walked into the room with a gun, raised it and tried to shoot Lydia in the head… well, Lydia wouldn't be able to dodge it.

Scott had known this part wouldn't set well with Nixie though, which is why she was outside of the room. She'd hidden in a janitor's closet across the hall until she saw Monroe walk into the principal's office, where Lydia was waiting. If anything unsavory started happening, Nixie could be in the room in two seconds, and Lydia would be covered in a protective shield of dragon wings, before harm could befall her.

And Nixie did expect harm to befall her… maybe. Okay, actually, she's not positive. Monroe was a hard woman to read, even with her sapphire eyes. She definitely had a darker aura, one that seemed to lend itself towards the chaos that was heading their way. But… Nixie also felt that there was purpose behind that darkness. Not like with Gerard, who was wicked and evil by choice, for no other apparent reason. No… this was… different.

Nixie snaps her eyes back to normal as she realizes that this is how she'd felt about Matt, before they'd figured out he was the person controlling the kanima and killing everyone around them. He'd had darkness in him… but there had been cause behind it. He was still evil, but even back then Nixie had been able to sense that he had his reasons. Reasons that Nixie would even understand, on some level.

Didn't change the fact that he'd turned out to be a self-righteous bastard that shot Scott and threatened to kill all her friends. And it didn't change the fact now, that this was exactly what Monroe was a part of doing. But… there was still a reason to her darkness. Nixie's just not sure what that is exactly.

Lydia has just finished talking about coexistence, and how it falls apart when we begin comparing how we're all different, rather than highlighting how we're all still the same. And it honestly doesn't look like Monroe is going to agree to get Gerard to meet with Scott.

Nixie has her eyes closed, trying to picture everything in the room, and what all the sounds coming from within there mean. The sound of a hand gripping someone's arm, holding them in place, was Lydia, trying to keep Monroe in the same room to talk. That's how important this was.

But Lydia's expression had clearly hinted at something, because Monroe then asks, "Is that how you do your predictions? You touch someone?" Lydia's soft reply of, "No," is what pulled Nixie from her hiding place. Because maybe Lydia didn't get her premonitions from touch. Voices spoke to her about these things. But that didn't mean sometimes touch didn't provide her with a little something. Lydia's own sixth sense always guided them in the direction of the dangerous thing they were trying to beat.

And whether she had a good reason for her darkness or not, Lydia had obviously felt something that told her that Monroe was definitely a person they were trying to beat. Monroe's voice, as Nixie stands outside the door, asks, "Then how do you do it? How do you know who's going to die next?"

Lydia pleads, "There doesn't have to be a next. On either side, yours or mine. Please. Just meet with him."

Silence takes over for a moment, and then Monroe says, "What did you see?" "I don't see things." "Then how? What did you feel when you touched me?" Lydia doesn't respond to that, so Monroe says, "What if I touch you? Will you feel is stronger? Will you get a fuller picture? How about…"

She was reaching out to touch Lydia's hand with her own, but Lydia shook her head, "You really don't want to do that?" And it was the sudden confidence in that statement that drew Monroe up short for a second. Gone was the worried tone of voice. Now Lydia sounded self-assured, and honestly… she sounded as though, in spite of all the bad that she could feel coming… she still felt untouchable.

Monroe tilts her head, "And why not? Because you get to decide when you touch, and when you see things? What if I…" Lydia sighs and shakes her head in time with the sound of the door opening. Monroe glances over to see Nixie step in. No knock. No preamble. No explanation given. She just closes the door behind her, and walks over to where Lydia is sitting.

Perching herself on the arm of Lydia's chair, Nixie eyes Monroe for a moment to size her up. Then she says, "Lydia doesn't get premonitions from touching people. She hears voices. But if you were actually being an astute student of Gerard's, you'd at least know that by now."

Monroe leans back in offense and awe at this young woman who was now in her office. Tilting her head, she asks, "And who are you?" "I'm Nixie Parrish. Formerly Nixie Haven. And I'm the reason that you really don't want to touch my best friend."

At hearing the name Nixie, Monroe sits up straighter, "I've heard about you." "Clearly you haven't heard enough." "I know Gerard knows you're a supernatural." "And I know that he has no fucking clue which one I actually might be." Before Monroe can speak again, maybe to counter that statement with her own, Nixie waves her away and says, "Don't keep saying things that I'm already aware of. It doesn't make you smart, or well informed. Just makes you annoying."

Glancing at Lydia, Nixie shrugs at the tiny grin that Lydia can't hide on her face. Then Nixie turns back to Monroe. The guidance counselor eyes her for a moment, and then asks, "Alright… why don't I want to touch Lydia?" "Because she's my best friend. Weren't you listening?" "Yes. But why should I be afraid of you?"

And her eyes widen, in spite of herself, when Nixie says bluntly, "Because I'm the one person in my pack that is already willing to kill you. Immediately. Right here and now. Without hesitation, and without remorse." "And what did I do to you?" "Nothing, as of yet. And I don't really care what you do to me."

She nods her head toward Lydia, "Them, however. Them, you will not touch. Particularly Lydia. I kind of pride myself on being able to protect her from most things. Well… when I'm not in the throes of a depressing emotional breakdown." Lydia holds up a finger, "Which, by the way, you're doing great about not having any more of those." "That's because I have the best friends in the world, who refuse to leave me alone. They're kind of great, maybe you've met them."

Lydia covers her mouth to hide her smile and laughter, but it's clear that Monroe can't believe they're sitting across from her, laughing while also trying to hold this serious conversation. When Lydia finally looks up at her, she explains, "If Nixie's determined to make you smile, then it's pointless to fight. Plus, she doesn't have any faith in this 'peace summit' actually occurring."

Monroe gives her attention back to Nixie, and then asks, "You don't think we can be… reasonable?" Nixie tilts her head and says, "No." "And why is that?" "Because people who are acting out of fear and desperation are very difficult to sway." "And you think Gerard and I are afraid and desperate?"

The grin on the woman's face vanishes when Nixie says wisely, "No. But you are the people who are using that fear and desperation to get what you want out of everyone else. And people who think that using fear and desperation are great tools to use in building an army… they don't respond to reason. They respond to hate, because it's the emotion they relate with the best. Because it's the only one they're open to knowing anymore."

Then Nixie shrugs, "It's why this plan, in my opinion, is a waste. Scott wants to reason, which you two are incapable of. And Scott is not a creature prone to hatred, which is the only other thing you two understand."

Silence reigns a moment more. Then, Monroe cocks her head to the side and says, "Fine. We'll agree to your peace summit. But I'll only meet with Scott. Alone." Nixie narrows her eyes at that, but feels Lydia's hand on her back. Not a rubbing up and down motion to try and calm her down. Just a rhythmic tapping of her fingers that says to be patient, and not blow a fuse at this ridiculous request. Then Lydia leans forward, "He'll agree to that. Where?" "The tunnels. Just a few paces past where Liam was seen… well, you know what he was seen as."

Nixie bites back the snarl building in her throat, and then says, "Lydia will let him know." Monroe tilts her head, "Not you?" "No. I didn't want this to begin with." "Then why are you here?" "To keep Lydia safe." "You think she's in danger from me?" "I think everyone that matters to me is in danger from you."

Monroe smirks a bit, but it slips when Nixie leans closer to her. Smirking herself, Nixie says, "You're overly confident, Ms. Monroe. And it will be the thing that gets you killed, if you don't watch it." "And why do you think that?" "Because right now, you're confident that I wouldn't actually kill you. Because, as of this particular moment, I haven't actually committed that act yet. I've threatened people, I've beat people up. But I've yet to actually kill anyone."

Leaning even closer, Nixie says, "But allow me to explain. The only reason, right now, that you are not already dead, is because my alpha is Scott McCall. And people matter to him. Even people like you. So in respect to him, I restrain myself. He wants to try and make peace. And I will give him that chance, until we've exhausted all options."

Glaring at the woman now, she says, "But make no mistake, guidance counselor. The second my patience with you begins to endanger the lives of my friends. The second that I think you might actually manage to kill someone who matters to me. That will be the second in which you die. I have an exuberant amount of patience, and it has kept me from taking a life up until this point."

She tilts her head now, and says "Don't be the first person stupid enough to break that pattern. Because while I would not regret it for a second, I'm not exactly fond of the idea of going to jail."

Monroe stares at her for a moment more, and then blinks in surprise when Lydia says, "You can go now. I'll set the meeting for ten o'clock."

As soon as she's out of the room, Lydia closes the door and sighs in relief. "I can't believe that actually worked." Nixie nods in agreement, joining her friend at the door. Grinning, Nixie asks, "How'd you know she'd agree after we told her I didn't have faith in it happening in the first place?" "She has one complex that I could find to give us an advantage. A desire to either prove people right about qualities she thinks are good about herself. Or a desire to prove people wrong about the qualities she thinks are bad about herself."

Lydia grins back as she continues, "Being an unreasonable snob who won't agree to something as sensible as a peace summit is definitely a bad quality." Nixie nods, but then adds, "I wasn't joking though. If she ever touches you, I'll kill her." "And I'll help you hide the body. I have shower curtains we can wrap it in." "And I have bleach to clean up the crime scene. And depending on the mess, we can either use Jordan's cruiser, or the jeep to drive to the disposal site."

Nixie smiles as Lydia laughs while they walk out of the room. "I can't believe you have so many preparations in place for your first murder already." Shrugging, Nixie says, "It used to be in line with my policy on lying. If you're going to lie, then do it so convincingly that no one will have any room to doubt you." "And now?" "Oh, now it's not lying anymore. I'm fully prepared to commit mass murder and get away with it."

Lydia laughs until they get to her car and Nixie's bike. Swinging her leg over the seat, Nixie asks, "By the way, how are we getting around Scott going to this meeting alone?" "What makes you think we're getting around it?"

"Because you know me well. And you would not have dared to tap on my back for patience if you didn't already have a plan that didn't involve Scott going down there alone. This is also why you are my best friend. Beautiful and brilliant. Deadly combination. Seriously, world domination is at your fingertips. Gerard should be more afraid of you. And why are you laughing?"

* * *

Nixie is glad that this 'peace summit' is going to be held at ten, which gives her three hours. Which means she has time to head down to the hospital with Jordan and Noah and see what's going on.

Jordan saw something. Not exactly unusual in Beacon Hills. But what he saw… well, was supposed to be locked in a drawer in the morgue. It was faceless, with no traces of DNA. Melissa had already informed her about all of this when she and Chris had examined the body. So… how in the hell was Jordan seeing it. At the police station. Standing, as though the person was fine and it was completely normal to have no skin, no face, and no DNA. It just… well, it just wasn't possible.

Nixie closes her eyes as she leans against the door to the morgue, chiding herself internally that she should never say that anything was impossible. The spectrum for what might be possible in this world was ever expanding. And every time they thought they'd reached the end of what should be possible, by any standards, the bar simply kept rising. Shit kept happening to surprise them, terrify them, and make it even harder to sleep well at night.

Her hand lands on her stomach subconsciously, protectively rubbing against the tiny person that was growing inside of her. Sure, it was entirely too early on for her to have a bump yet, or for anyone to tell that she was pregnant at all. But the fact remained that there was a precious child in there. Someone that Nixie was about to bring into this crazy, hectic, and ever-dangerous world.

She still didn't think the peace summit was going to work. Not with these people they were dealing with. But it would be nice to think that peace, at least some day, was a possibility. It's what Scott was always fighting for. Peace, and the safety of everyone around him.

And hey… she's just finished discussing with herself that nothing was impossible anymore. Maybe she could focus that into a more positive light right now.

Heat wraps around her from up the hall, and she smiles before opening her eyes to look as Jordan, Noah, and Melissa all head in her direction. Melissa raises an eyebrow, "How did you even get down here?" "Do you know me at all? I'm insulted by the question. Where can't I get into, with either a glare, or by picking some poor nurses pocket?"

Noah looks heavenward and says, "Lord help us all." Nixie grins, and as Jordan wraps an arm around her, she asks, "Hey, how's mom doing?" Noah nods, "She's good. Settled in well. She's staying in your room, which she will not stop thanking me for. And not about the fact that she gets to stay there. She won't stop thanking me for making it your room in my house."

Nixie smiles gently at him, "Well, you are kind of amazing. You should be thanked on an hourly basis. In fact, I'll put that into effect immediately. Expect hourly texts from here on out." "Nixie… I love you, but please don't." "Why not?!"

The others just laugh at her, and then Jordan sighs as he kisses the side of her head and breathes her in. The scare from what he'd seen at the sheriff's station had still been lingering with him, even after they'd left. Even after the 'thing' had vanished from sight.

But now that he was holding her in his arms… well, Jordan wasn't quite as afraid. He was worried. But that kind of seemed to be a constant in their lives, at least whenever danger came rolling back into town. But he wasn't terrified anymore.

Nixie looks up at him when he leans back, and she asks, "You okay, babe?" He nods, but when she tilts her head, he says, "I wasn't. But I am now. Promise."

Her response is to rest her head on his chest for a moment. Then she looks up at Melissa and says, "Alright. Let's get on with looking at this poor sucker." And she can't help grinning at the collective groan that goes up from all of them at her words.

Walking into the room, Melissa says, "Look… I'll be the first one to admit. Some pretty strange things have been happening. But the body couldn't have moved." Jordan takes up a position next to Melissa, on the other side of the door concealing where the body is being held. Tilting his head, he asks, "Why not?"

Melissa gives him a look and says, "Because it's locked in a drawer, and it has no skin or DNA. And no face." And then Melissa gives Nixie a look when she says, "Which means no eyes. Which seriously confuses me. I mean… how does he know where he's going… if he has no eyes? Someone explain that to me."

Nixie shrugs at Melissa's look, and then grins over at Jordan. He smiles back, turning back to face the drawer. Then Noah asks, "This thing… it scared the hell out of you and Argent, right?" Melissa nods, "Without moving an inch."

With that said, Noah places his hand on his firearm, and Jordan takes the que and does the same. Melissa is about to reach for the handle and open the door. That's when Nixie's cold hand grips her wrist. "Are you crazy?!" Melissa leans back in surprise, but then can't help grinning when Nixie adds, "You're the only human here who doesn't have a weapon to defend yourself with. Jordan is a hellhound, and he has a gun. Noah has a gun. I'm a dragon. You… you stand behind me, looking beautiful as ever." "Nixie, sometimes I do get to protect you. You know that right?" "Sure… when it makes sense. Right now though, that would just be stupid."

She has her scales appear over her whole body to emphasize that point, and then takes Melissa's place in opening the door. But upon swinging it open for the boys to look into, she doesn't see disgust or fear erupt on their faces. Instead, Noah sighs before saying, "Great."

Nixie raises an eyebrow, but then glances down to see what they're looking at. Which is nothing. There is, literally, nothing in the drawer… except for some smeared bodily fluids that the body had apparently left behind. Because the body was gone. A faceless, skinless, dead body… was gone from the morgue.

And once again, Nixie is shown just how very wrong it is to consider anything impossible.

As they head out the doors, Nixie glances down at the text she just got from Lydia. She and Malia were waiting at a different entrance into the tunnels. Scott was already inside, but they were ready to head on in as soon as he wouldn't hear them following behind. Nodding, Nixie then looks up at Jordan where they stand beside his cruiser.

Tilting his head at her, he asks, "What?" "I'm about to do something dangerous." "I figured. What is it exactly?" "Scott's meeting with Tamora Monroe to have a 'peace summit'." "You sound skeptical." Nixie just shakes her head, "The woman doesn't want to be reasoned with. She has… purpose behind her rage. It gives her focus, and a belief in her cause that I don't think we're going to be able to shake. Not even Scott."

Nodding, Jordan asks, "What do you need from me?" Nixie tilts her head at him, and then smiles before saying, "I love you." He grins, "I love you too. I'll be on call. Just let me know if I can do anything." "I will. What are you going to do now?" Sighing, he says, "Try and find a way to put an APB out on this… thing."

He can't help laughing when Nixie hisses in dismay before saying, "Yeah, I'm gonna leave that to you. I have quite a way with words at times… but figuring out how you're going to do that is definitely beyond my range of verbal talents."

She watches his smile shrink a bit after a moment, and then he says, "My parents… want to meet with us again." Nixie sighs, "I know." "And I know that this… all of it… its really dangerous. And this is top priority, I get that. But…"

Nixie eyes snap up to his, and a frown forms as she shakes her head. "Jordan… no. I mean… crisis wise, this definitely needs to be dealt with. In a fast and hurried fashion. But… no, Jordan. Top priority… that is always the people in our family. Family… above all else. And sure, they aren't perfect, and your history with them isn't exactly great. But they are your family, which makes them mine."

Glancing at her phone to check the time, she then says, "Maybe in a day or two there will be a lull, and we can have dinner or something. Or we can just get coffee. But I reserve the right to bring my own. Starbucks is fine when you're in desperate need, but I refuse to settle for such poor quality when there is time to make the stellar blend that was designed specifically for me."

Jordan smiles, and then cups her face in his hands. Kissing her deeply, his lips parting hers, he chuckles when she sighs into his mouth and leans further into him. Leaning back, he gives her one more quick kiss, and then says, "I love you. Call me. For anything."

And then he can't help laughing when Nixie says, "Hey! That's my line!"

* * *

"That's right. You're negotiating with me, Scott."

As Monroe's voice floats down the tunnels, Nixie pinches the bridge of her nose and sends up a silent prayer for patience. Hurrying to catch up with where Malia and Lydia were hiding, she then crouches down and asks, "What'd I miss?"

Lydia shakes her head, "Not much. Except that Tamora is apparently the one in charge. Gerard is advising… probably strongly advising. But Monroe is the one calling the shots." "Great. So I didn't miss anything."

Malia gives Nixie a confused look, obviously not understanding how this is great. Lydia simply says in answer to the look, "Sarcasm. Don't worry. Between Stiles and Nixie, they'll have you trained yet."

Nixie grins at that, and then closes her eyes to let her ears fill in what they aren't capable of seeing. There were at least four other people, not counting Tamora, Scott, or Gerard themselves. One at Scott's back, holding an electrified baton. Three were behind Monroe, and from the smell, Nixie figured they have either semi-automatic, or straight up automatic weapons on them.

If it was Nixie's army, she would've started them with semi-automatic. But she doubts Monroe is that smart. She also doubts that Gerard cared about 'advising' her to the fact that, people who haven't handled guns before in their lives, needed to be started off slowly when being taught how to handle them. Otherwise, if they were frightened and their fingers were on the trigger, there was no telling who would end up shot in the crossfire. In all likelihood, it would probably be someone that Monroe actually didn't want to be shot.

On second thought… maybe it was helpful that Gerard would be so selective in the 'advice' he chose to give.

As Monroe talks about wanting to see a werewolf beg for peace, Nixie opens her eyes to look at the others. Shrugging, she asks, "What exactly does she think Scott has been doing for the past four years? If all we've been fighting for hasn't been a clear and desperate plea for peace, then I don't know what is."

Malia shrugs, while Lydia gives them both a slightly confused look. She clearly couldn't hear the conversation going on further down the tunnels. And while she obviously knew that she couldn't ask her two friends to repeat the conversation for her, not without risking their exposure… it clearly irked her that she couldn't hear what was going on.

Nixie puts a hand on Lydia's shoulder, and then closes her eyes again and tilts her head to listen again. Because Scott had obviously remembered what she'd said earlier. Beacon Hills was just a place. Yes, it had been their home for years, and they'd all like it to remain their home for years to come. But in the end… it was just a place. All the mattered were the people inside the town that belonged to them. Everything else was just stuff. And stuff could be replaced. People, however, could not.

He offers with a full heart to have every supernatural being leave Beacon Hills. All of them. Some would be reluctant, he knows that. But most wouldn't care. Plus, the word had been spreading over the last couple of years that a dragon was in their midst. It was a part of why the supernatural community within Beacon Hills had spiked again, aside from the Nemeton drawing them there in the first place. Everyone wanted to be near a dragon… a blue dragon no less.

And Scott knows that if he goes, Nixie goes with him. Those few who would be reluctant to leave at first, Nixie would be able to convince to move with just the thought of her being absent in this town.

But as good of a plan as it might've been, Monroe replies with mocking disdain, "If you leave, we'll follow you. We'll hunt you down until every single one of you is gone."

Sighing and pinching the bridge of her nose again, Nixie leans closer to Lydia and Malia. "I'm circling around to the other side of them. If things start getting hairy, I'll work on taking out the guys on the other side. You…" she points to Malia, "make sure this one doesn't even come close to touching him with that thing."

Malia nods and then they watch as Nixie swiftly and quietly begins working her way around to get on the other side of this little meeting. In her own mind, she thinks it's a bit ridiculous how well acquainted she's become with these tunnels. It takes her only about two minutes to get to another hiding place on the opposite end of the 'peace summit'.

Long enough for Monroe to explain why she hated supernatural creatures so much. Because the night the beast had set a trap for them, in the bus where they'd finally found Jordan, she'd been there. She'd been on that bus, lying underneath all of those bodies. And the only person who had found her that day, who had done anything more to save her… was Noah.

Nixie disagrees with that assessment. Yes, maybe they had been a tad careless. Maybe someone should've stayed to try and check the bodies and see if anyone was left alive. But they were teenagers. They had not been trained to deal with something like that before. And the one person who had blatantly been alive on that bus, had been ripped in half a moment later, by the beast himself. How were they supposed to know that someone else wasn't dead yet? What was the likelihood that such an evil creature, who craved the shedding of blood so much, would actually make a mistake and not slash someone deeply enough to kill them?

Their focus has been on the beast himself, and trying to stop him from doing any more damage. Perhaps their focus had been too narrow, but again, they were still learning at this.

As Scott tries to reason that they obviously hadn't known, or they would've stopped to help, Monroe simply tells him, "You shouldn't have come alone, Scott."

To Nixie's smiling pleasure, it was Malia's voice that spoke next, saying, "He didn't." And then there's the distinct sound of the man with the baton being thrown into a wall.

Malia can't help herself. As she and Lydia move to stand at Scott's back, she smiles when she hears Nixie whisper, "That's my girl. Good job, Malia."

Then Monroe levels her pistol at Scott, who says, "Hey, hey, hey! We did not come here to fight." Several other guns end up raised, but as Nixie focuses on all the sounds from that area, she only hears pressure get applied to one of those triggers. Gentle pressure. Someone skilled with a gun, and ready to fire at a moment's notice. But not yet pulling it down.

Very ready to though. They were more than ready and willing.

Gerard's voice, in response to Scott's statement, shouts, "Then you came here to die!" But as his finger comes closer to pressing on the trigger, in spite of Monroe being the one who was supposed to call the shots… Gerard suddenly felt his hand grow ice cold. The gun in his hand did the same.

All eyes turn to the weapon that is now coated in a layer of ice, frost forming on the surface. The trigger was obviously useless now, but the cold didn't stop there. It shot towards Gerard's hand again, until the man holding the gun had to drop it and cry out from the blistering pain the cold was causing to course through his hand.

Monroe's eyes are wide as she stares at her advisor, but then all heads jerk around when Nixie's voice says, "For those wondering what happened… Gerard was about to shoot my boy."

As a couple of the guns turn towards her, she tilts her head at them, but she still doesn't do anything more. Looking straight at Monroe, she says, "You should learn to control your army better. Your advisor was about to pull rank and shoot anyway."

Gerard glares at her from the ground, but Nixie pays him no mind. Shrugging, she says, "I'm all for a fair fight. I really am. But if any of you so much as places a pinky on your trigger before it's called for… well, I think the results speak for themselves already. Wouldn't you agree?"

Gerard rises to his feet. Pointing his still frost-covered hand at her, he says, "When the time comes, I will take great pleasure in killing you." Malia snarls protectively, and then as Monroe shifts the gun to point at her, Malia shouts indignantly, "We're trying to protect you."

Turning back to them, Gerard says, "You might want to control your beta, Scott. She could get you all killed."

But even Gerard's eyes take on a slight look of concern when Lydia voices, "We're not the enemy. There's something else going on. We don't know what it is, but we promise you there's a bigger problem."

Monroe asks, both skeptically and curiously, "Something worse than supernatural cannibals?" Scott tilts his head, wondering how she knows about those. But the woman simply shouts, "Yeah, I know everything now. Wendigos, Oni, were-coyotes. People being murdered as human sacrifices?" Scott shakes his head, "We tried to stop those." "And how many people lost their lives while you were 'trying'?"

Sadly, Scott can only answer, "Too many." "It was twelve!" Lowering her gun, she turns to gesture to the man on her right. "His son was one of them! His throat was cut and his head bashed in." She points to another one, adding, "His brother was a deputy. Gutted and torn apart. The official report read 'animal attack'!"

As she levels her gun again, scoffing at what the report had said, Nixie can hear Lydia say worriedly, "It's amplifying their fear." Scott glances at her, and then back to Monroe. "Look… you've all lost somebody, and you wanna get revenge, I get that. But you've gotta listen to me. Something escaped the wild hunt."

Before he can explain further, Lydia shouts, "Nixie! Scott! It's here. It's here right now." Nixie turns to try and look around, trying to sense what Lydia could hear and feel. This thing was supposed to amplify the fear of everyone around it, apparently. But she didn't feel any more afraid that she usually did. So where was this thing supposed to be?

Nixie hears a gun click behind her, so she turns to see that Monroe has switched her pistol to be pointed at Lydia. Through her teeth, the woman says, "You're lying. There's nothing…"

The gun in her hand freezes instantly, and Monroe has no choice but to drop it, or risk an intense case of frost bite. Turning sharply, she shouts, "I didn't have my finger on the trigger!" Nixie just raises an eyebrow, "Yeah. And while you had it pointed at Scott, or even Malia, that was fine. They heal." Nodding towards Lydia, Nixie says, "She does not. So, for the record, no guns will ever be pointed at her. Next person stupid enough to forget that, dies. Painfully. Slowly."

Scott sighs, "Nixie…" "What?! I'm not being unreasonable in any way. Three people in here still have guns to shoot. We have no weapons except what we turn into. They have an advantage still. It's not my fault if they're not smart enough to allow themselves to keep it."

As Lydia keeps glancing around, still feeling the presence here, Nixie adds, "Also, for your general information Ms. Monroe…" She walks up towards the guidance counselor, her hands raised in a peaceful gesture so the men won't start shooting at her. Then, directly in front of the woman who owns this new army, Nixie says, "While you may not like any supernatural creature ever again, allow me to grant you this one shred of sound advice and wisdom."

She nods at Lydia, and then says, "Do not ever doubt the word of a banshee. Even if the banshee doesn't completely understand what she's seeing and hearing for herself. Everything she has to tell you, also has the potential to be the thing that saves your life."

Monroe looks like she's at a cross of wanting to believe what Nixie has just said, and also wanting nothing more than to hate her… simply for existing. That's when the first man behind them shouts in a panic and begins firing. Nixie snaps around to see what he's shooting at… but she can't see anything there that he could be trying to aim at.

He was shooting out of desperation and panic. He was shooting in fear. Which is not only a complete waste of bullets, but definitely not a good idea while down in these tunnels, where bullets were bound to ricochet in every direction.

Scott yells, "Get down!" As he grabs Malia, shoving her to one side and out of harm's way, he glances back to see if Lydia was moving to do the same. Not that he needed to. He'd known from the start that all he had to do was pick a direction to move in, pick one of the girls to get out of the way, and Nixie would pick the other.

And as he'd suspected, Nixie had Lydia crouching down on the other side of the tunnel, hidden partially behind a piece of metal in the wall. And what part of them wasn't protected by the metal, Nixie had shifted so her scales coated her body. So long as Lydia stayed on the other side of Nixie, she would remain safe.

Scott glances around at the flashing muzzles, no aim or purpose to their direction. Shaking his head, he shouts over the gunfire, "This thing is making them panic." Nixie nods that she heard him, and then her eyes widen and she shouts, "MALIA!" Scott glances down, only to find Malia no longer in front of him.

Thinking she'd seen the thing, she'd made to run up and slash into it. Perhaps she could end this before it got too out of hand. But as soon as her hand came down, the thing just seemed to vanish. Glancing around in confusion, she stands there for a minute, not understanding what just happened.

Then she's running as Scott grabs hold of her hand, dragging her down to the other end of the tunnel. Nixie follows behind Lydia, rounding the corner and staying there for cover.

Nixie has half a mind to throw Malia into the nearest wall and tell her to never do that again. But, to her surprise and amusement, she finds she doesn't have to. Scott doesn't exactly throw her into a wall. His approach was gentler and less abrupt than Nixie's. But he was no less firm when he held her by her arms and said, "Do not ever, do that again. Understand me?"

Malia looks like she might argue, but Scott flashes his red eyes at her, a sign that he was not to be argued with on this point right now. So she just nods, ducking her head a little in a shy fashion.

Malia… the blunt, direct, and in Nixie's opinion, most hardcore person in their pack. And she was ducking her head shyly in front of Scott. Nixie was not a person prone to 'oohhing' and 'aahhing' at things. But if they hadn't been in a tunnel filled with stupid people shooting at random in fear, she would've most certainly commented on how adorable she thought they were being right now.

Nixie then pulls out her phone, putting a hand on Lydia's so she didn't waste time trying to call Chris, or Noah, or someone else. Lifting her eyes, Lydia says, "But we need…" "Backup. Yeah, I'm on it."

* * *

As Jordan's phone rings, he glances at Noah meaningfully before answering, "Nix." "Hey, babe. Listen. Do you think you could make your way to the tunnels?" "Yeah. Tell me where?" "Um…" Glancing at Lydia, Nixie asks, "Where would we be if we were topside right now?" "Corner of Adams and Sunnyside drive."

Nixie nods, then blinks and asks, "Sunnyside? Really? We have a road called Sunnyside?" "Nixie, just tell him. And tell him to bring a flare. We need him to get hot quick when he gets down here."

Over the phone, Jordan has to wipe a hand over his mouth to keep from chuckling when Nixie says, "He's always hot. I'm married to, literally, the hottest man on the planet. I've said this a thousand times. Haven't you been listening?"

Nixie grins as Lydia rolls her eyes, but before she can say anything else, Jordan says to her, "I'll bring the flare. Give me five minutes." Then, as other shots ring out, Jordan asks, "Nixie, what the hell was that?" "Um… well, in summary, the skinless, faceless, supposedly dead thing from the morgue is down here. Apparently having no face, no DNA, and no skin doesn't mean you actually are dead. And he's amplifying everyone's fear, and they're all shooting at anything that moves."

Glancing down the tunnel, Nixie adds, "I'm pretty sure this guy is shooting at every single speck of dust that so much as floats into his line of sight." Then, as Jordan hears gunshots closer to the phone, he hears Nixie adds, "Then again, he might be shooting at us too. Not sure yet, since he hasn't hit us."

Silence for a moment, and then Nixie hears the peeling of tires against pavement as Jordan says, "Three minutes." "Jordan, breaking the sound barrier on my bike is my thing." "Just don't get shot." "That I can do."

Hanging up, Nixie holds up three fingers to her friends, and then jerks Lydia back when she makes to look around the corner. Raising an eyebrow at her friend, Nixie says, "Unless you can do this…" She lets the scales on her face surface, and then finishes, "You stay out of the line of fire."

Lydia gives her a look, eyes cutting down to Nixie's stomach briefly. But Nixie simply gives her a look, saying that her argument was invalid. If Nixie got shot while her scales were out, there would be no harm done, even if she was pregnant. If Lydia got shot, however, there would be severe damage done. Also, Nixie might go into a rage and kill everyone down here, aside from the one thing they really needed to kill right now. So no, Lydia would not win this argument.

Scott and Nixie take turns keeping watch. As he glances around again and more shots ring out, Malia huffs and asks, "What are we supposed to do? Just wait until…"

As the grate over their heads opens, and a flare drops down to the ground, Scott smiles in relief. Lydia glances at her watch, and then says, "Would you look at that? He actually did make it in three minutes."

Nixie frowns for a moment, intent on berating her husband as soon as he got down into the tunnel. Sure, she didn't really have the right. She sped all the time, and no one was allowed to tell her she couldn't. But still…

Didn't matter though. She'd no sooner opened her mouth to start berating him, when Jordan leapt down into the tunnel with them. Like some graceful fighter out of an action movie, he landed on one knee in a crouch. And as he rose up, eyes flaming fiery orange, Nixie couldn't help thinking about how hot her husband was. Not literally. Physically.

Damn her dragon-pregnancy hormones. They were in a serious, life or death, situation. And she's thinking about how sexy her husband is.

Removing his coat, he hands it over to Nixie and says, "Wrap it around Lydia. You're making everyone cold." She glances at the others. Scott and Malia shrug, because they weren't that effected by it. They could feel it, absolutely. But they were also hot blooded creatures, who could handle it better than humans. Lydia, on the other hand, takes the jacket gratefully.

She shrugs at Nixie's look and says, "I was fine. Better now, but I was still fine. Not like there was much to do about it anyway." Jordan glances down the hall, and then picks up the flare. Bending his head down to Nixie, he kisses her softly, and then says, "Be right back."

And then he marched down the hall, straight towards the gunfire. Nixie can't help smirking when she hears him throw the man with the gun into a nearby wall, as though he were nothing more than an irritation.

Then he screams angrily as he sets himself rapidly on fire, holding the creature in one hand and passing those flames onto him. The entire hall is then coated in flames as Jordan allows it to expand and build around them, almost like a bomb going off.

When it finally dies down, Nixie hurriedly runs down the hall to where Jordan is slowly getting back up. As her cool hands touch his overheated skin, he sighs in relief. Rising to his full height, he leans back against the wall behind him, holding Nixie in his arms and letting her cold presence engulf him.

Her fingers are gently running through his hair, but they both turn to pay attention when Malia says gently, "They didn't come here to negotiate. You did everything you could." Scott looks up from the crisp body on the ground, the one that still has no face, and then says, "No… no, not everything. Not yet."

And they all can't help but smile when Nixie says, "That's my alpha. So… what's our next step?"

Scott doesn't know exactly what they'll have to do at this point. But he does know that they'll have to make a plan sooner rather than later. War was coming, and it seemed like the only way to stop it, was to get rid of whatever the thing was that had escaped the wild hunt. So that was their first step. Figuring out what it was, and how to stop it.

How they were going to do that, he's not sure. But when he says as much, he smiles when Nixie pulls out her phone and calls Mason. She explains what they do know so far, and that he should talk to Deaton, and together they should try to come up with an answer.

Then Mason tells her what happened to Liam at school today. How the entire lacrosse team had tried to beat the hell out of him, and force him to shift.

The answering, "WHAT?!" was somehow still louder then he'd expected. Liam, leaning against Mason's car, heard it and told Mason to quickly explain that he was fine. Then Mason handed the phone over to Liam at Nixie's request.

Liam nods as Nixie asks, "Are you alright? One-hundred-percent alright?" Sighing, Liam says, "I'm a bit bruised at the moment. But everything's healing just fine. Mason's gonna take me to his house to clean up. We can't let me dad see me like this. Not… not yet."

Silence or a moment, and then Nixie says, "Alright. But if you need anything, you call me. Anything at all. Understand?" "Yes ma'am."

And then he can't help but smile when Nixie says, "And Liam… I'm proud of you. So incredibly, wonderfully, and unbelievably proud. Don't you ever forget that." "Yes ma'am."

* * *

At home later, as they're both sitting and eating a late supper, Jordan asks, "How are you feeling?" "Fine. You?" When Jordan gives her an amused look, she says, "Oh… you mean as far as things with the baby go. Still the same answer."

Jordan nods as he stands up to put his plate and cup in the sink. Nixie was still working on some of her meal, but froze when Jordan's arms came around her on either side. Braced against the island, trapping her and surrounding her in his heat, he whispers in her ear, "Are you sure there isn't anything you need right now? Nothing you want? Special food? More coffee? Something… else altogether?"

He nibbles at the bottom of her ear, smirking when Nixie trembles before saying breathlessly, "You're not helping." "Is that a fact? I could've sworn you were looking at me in the tunnels like you wanted to eat me for desert." Nixie groans and says, "And I shouldn't have. We were in the middle of a crisis."

Jordan eases his teasing attention just a bit. Kissing the side of her neck tenderly, he says, "Logically speaking, I know that. And you know that. Which is why you didn't act on it. And I am rather proud of you for that, baby." Nixie smiles as she leans back into him, and then he says, "But, on the pregnancy side of things… well, you don't get to control when those hormones are going to make you… well, horny."

Nixie laughs, and then sighs as he kisses her neck again. Reaching back to grip the back of his head, she says, "If you keep doing that, we might not leave this spot. That feels so nice." He hums against her skin, and as his fingers slip beneath her shirt, he whispers, "Who says we have to leave this spot."

She's spun around before she can protest, and as his lips travel in a hot trail down her body, clothes being slowly removed in the process, Nixie's only intelligent response is to grip him tighter and not let go. Because none of the sounds she made after that would ever make any sense to anyone, except for Jordan.

* * *

They were lying in bed together, Nixie's head on Jordan's chest, when her phone went off. Nixie lifted tired eyes to look at it, and then kissed Jordan's neck when he reached over to answer it for her. "Hey Scott. What's…"

Nixie squeezes Jordan a little tighter. She could already tell from the tensing of his body that she was going to have to leave again. Or at least, he thought she would.

Taking the phone gently from him, she listens to the rest of what Scott was saying. About the werewolf named Quinn, who had been shot in the head by a deputy. A freaking deputy.

Scott's right. Monroe and Gerard… they had everyone now.

In spite of that though, Nixie turns to Jordan and asks, "Is Noah still on duty?" Jordan shakes his head, so Nixie speaks into the phone, "Since she's claiming a cop shot her, we can't just go there and report it. We can trust Jordan, and we can trust Noah. That's all we know right now."

Scott takes a moment to consider that, and then says, "Alright. When will Noah be back in?" Nixie turns to Jordan again, who says, "Late shift tomorrow." Nodding, Nixie then hears Scott say, "We'll go then. Quinn can stay here for now, in the spare room. And yes, Nixie, I will call you if anything happens or changes."

Smiling, Nixie says, "I have trained you well. I'll see you tomorrow, Scott McCall."

After she hangs up, Nixie relates what Jordan may not have heard back to him. As his hand runs soothingly up and down her arm, he says, "Noah's gonna find that hard to believe. Not just because he wants to trust his officers. But because most of them were vetted by you at this point." "I have never liked all of them." "Maybe not. But aside from Haigh, you weren't really against any of them staying on the force before."

Silence for a moment, and then Nixie says, "If this gets much worse, we may not be able to take your parents anywhere in town to meet. We won't be welcome. Well… you might, simply because of the badge. But I won't."

Nodding, Jordan asks, "Any other ideas? We could have them here." "Not until they've proven that they understand they're mistaken. They don't get to come here and demand that you come home because they want a 'fresh start'. They don't get to demand anything. If anyone does get to demand something, it's you and your sister, and that's it."

He kisses the top of her head, and then says, "I love you." "I love you too, babe." "So… any other ideas?"

They go quiet again, but then Jordan glances down at her when she says, "Maybe." Lifting up so she can look down at him, she says, "The diner I used to work at. Kevin's. They still like me there. Well… if Monroe hasn't gotten to them as well. But they're a little on the outskirts of town, so it might be worth a shot. We could go there."

Nodding, Jordan then raises an eyebrow, "But not tomorrow?" "Oh, hell no. Tomorrow we're going to the police station to raise some hell. Weren't you listening? Hey, hey, what are you… don't tickle me! Stop!"

His fast moving fingers quickly slow down though, and as he kisses her neck, he says, "I'm always listening, baby. Always." Nixie sighs and says, "Good. Because, in case you haven't noticed, I say some pretty important things from time to time." "True. But I'd like to hear something else from you right now."

And as Nixie grins up at him before rolling them over, he knows she doesn't have a problem with that. No problem in the slightest.

* * *

Chapter 4! Yay! I'm going to try and keep my comments and such to a minimum at this point. (At least up top.) Hopefully, chapter 5 will be posted soon as well. :)


	5. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I maker her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 5: Episode 6x15

Jordan is pacing back and forth at the clinic. Again, not something that should be his thing. Nixie watches him a moment more, and then says, "Babe, please come here." Coming to her side, he takes her hand in his, kissing her knuckles gently. Sighing, he says, "Sorry."

Nixie just grins, "Isn't being the nervous wreck supposed to be my thing?" "Yeah. But as it's already been made apparent, our baby just makes you want a lot more of me." He grins now, and then chuckles when Nixie only smiles back at him. That had been her goal. Get him to stop worrying.

As Deaton comes back into the room with Grams in tow, he says, "The baby is fine." Jordan breathes a sigh of relief, and then puts an arm around Nixie when he feels her hand tighten in his. She was handling her worries a lot better than he was, but that didn't mean she wasn't still concerned for the child growing inside of her.

It was still too early for an ultrasound to show much of anything about the baby. At least, normally it would be. Deaton had explained that, even at five to six weeks, on an ultrasound, the baby would still look like nothing more than a tiny sac inside the womb.

But, as Deaton begins rolling in the ultrasound machine, Nixie frowns and asks, "What's up?" Grams simply positions the pillows better behind her, and then says, "It's… an unusual situation. As we knew it would be, since we're dealing with a host of supernatural creatures." Nixie's hand tightens in Jordan's as she asks, "But the baby's fine?"

Grams nods gently, rubbing a hand over Nixie's hair. Then Deaton squirts the jelly onto Nixie's stomach, and moves the probe around until he finds what he's looking for. And to Nixie and Jordan's surprise… it's not just a sac.

The little baby looks more like a… well, an actual baby. Nixie is still staring at it when Jordan says, "I don't understand." Deaton nods, "The only thing I can tell you for sure is that the baby is developing at an accelerated rate. How fast, I'm not sure exactly. You should be in week five, which should mean that the baby is… about the size of a sesame seed. Technically, it shouldn't look like a baby so much right now, and would look more like a tadpole."

Gesturing to the monitor, Deaton says, "But… your baby, based on the size and development we can see, looks to be at about week ten. We can see the hands and feet already." Jordan runs a hand through his hair and asks, "What does that mean for the both of them?"

Grams puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "Nothing is wrong, dear. This is just happening faster than it would for normal humans. But the baby is healthy, and growing fine. Nixie is healthy and doing fine. It just means we need to keep an eye on the development. Forty weeks isn't going to be the deadline for you guys. The baby will be ready to come much sooner than that."

Jordan would ask another question, except Nixie's hand lands on his chest. Tears in her eyes, she says softly, "Look at her." Jordan turns to the screen, and then can't help but smile when Nixie says, "She's perfect. Just… just look at her. Have you ever seen anything more perfect in your whole life?"

Kissing her temple as he helps her sit up straighter, he says, "No, I don't think I have. Though I think I should point out that we're not positive it's a girl yet." "Oh, be quiet. I say she's a girl, and I'll continue to think that until Deaton tells me otherwise."

At that moment, the front door slammed as it closed behind the whirlwind that was Lydia. She was running a little late, which was not at all her fault. Nixie and Jordan had woken up late, and had skipped breakfast in order to get here on time. Deaton had an appointment later in the day at Eichen House, which he promised to tell Nixie about later.

Upon hearing that Nixie had skipped breakfast, which was still what she considered to be the most important meal of the day, Lydia had stopped and gotten biscuits, bacon, and eggs for everyone. Nixie smells it as she enters the room and groans before saying, "Thank God! I'm starving." Lydia hands the bag over to Jordan, and then stares at the screen with the tiny human on it.

Reaching out for Nixie's shoulder, Lydia says softly, "She's beautiful." Nixie nods in agreement, and then grins when Jordan points out again, "We don't know it's a girl yet." Lydia shrugs, "Nixie says it's a girl. I'm with Nixie. And I call dibs on teaching her how to apply her makeup." Nixie lets out a bark of laughter, "Yeah, like I'd let anyone else dare to try and teach her about fashion. And yes, I'm including myself in that. The poor child wouldn't wear anything but jeans if I was the one doing the teaching."

Lydia smiles at that, and then turns back to the screen with the ultrasound. As tears of her own begin to form, Nixie grips her hand and says, "Don't you start. I'm barely holding off a rain storm as it is. If you start, then I'll start, and then were doomed." Lydia laughs, and then says, "I thought you were tougher than that." "Usually, I am. Pregnancy hormones." "And I thought they made you want…"

Nixie gives Lydia a look, and then she elbows Jordan in the gut when he laughs and says, "It's not like everyone in this room doesn't already know." "Oh, shut up. You're supposed to be on my side." "Always, baby."

He kisses her temple when she pouts at him, and then hands her a plate that Deaton had found to put some food on. And as they begin to eat, Lydia peppers Deaton with questions about the baby. Crossing her arms at one point, she asks, "So, what does that mean as far as when she'll start showing? Because I've been reading, and several books say that in your first pregnancy, you can start to show as early as twelve weeks. If Nixie's time frame is basically moving twice as fast, that means she could show as early as next week."

Deaton nods, noting the look of surprise that comes to Nixie's face. She clearly hadn't thought of that yet. Then he shrugs, "All we can do is wait and see. For right now, it will only be a small bump. Easy to conceal and not noticeable yet. Pushing fourteen and sixteen weeks though… well, that's a different story. And we still aren't sure when she'll actually reach these stages. The pregnancy could be moving twice as fast… or it could be on its own time schedule altogether. Maybe this is the fast part, and then it slows down a little from here. The only thing I know for certain, is that we have to keep a closer eye on it than we assumed before."

To Nixie, he says, "You should probably plan on coming here twice a week instead of just once." Nixie nods in understanding, and then before Lydia can even ask the question, she says, "I still want to keep it a secret, Lydia." Sighing, Lydia responds, "And I get that, I really do. But if you start showing… Nixie, what are you gonna do then?" "Well… then I'll tell them."

At Lydia's surprised and relieved look, Nixie smiles, "I'm not completely crazy. I'm not gonna try and wear something that'll crush the baby down to look like a normal flat stomach. If she starts to show, I'll tell everyone I'm pregnant. And then I'll threaten anyone who tries to baby me into a corner. Because no one puts baby in a corner."

Lydia rolls her eyes, "Really? You're referencing 'Dirty Dancing' now?" "I reference all movies as they come to serve my purposes. On a side note, based on that, I definitely should not be put in a corner. I'm Jordan's baby, because he calls me that all the time. And I have a baby. This means I'm doubly-assured to never be put in a corner. HA!"

And Nixie can't help it. Even she has to laugh at herself. No matter how serious she might've been.

* * *

As Jordan and Nixie arrive at the sheriff's station, he asks, "You're sure this girl is innocent?" Nixie nods. Scott had asked her over to the house earlier in the day, before they would take Quinn to see Noah. He wanted her opinion on whether or not Quinn was a trustworthy source.

He was, in a way, grasping at straws, and he knew that. Because if Nixie could discredit Quinn's story, either by not trusting her or by seeing something with her second sight, then maybe there was still hope. Maybe Gerard didn't have everyone yet, including the police force.

But Nixie, upon looking at Quinn carefully, both with and without her sight, could find nothing wrong with the girl. She was a trustworthy person, who was scared and on her own. She was terrified, sure. But she was telling the truth. At least, what she could remember of it.

Jordan turns Nixie's head so she faces him. At the concern in his eyes, Nixie shrugs but says, "It just… it's somehow worse than it already was. I mean, we already knew the town was going to be turning against us." Turning her eyes to the station, she says, "I just didn't count this place as being a part of that. Maybe because you and Noah are here. Maybe because… I don't even know. I just didn't consider that this place would somehow be corrupted by all of this. I come here so often. I've been coming here forever… even before you got here. And now… now this place is… tainted."

To Jordan again, she asks, "What if everything ends up tainted? Where are we going to go if that happens?" Jordan doesn't have an answer to that. Not a firm one anyway. But he does cup her face in his hands. Assuredly, he says, "We'll go wherever we're needed. We'll go wherever Scott leads us. We'll go wherever home happens to end up being."

Nixie tilts her head, "But… this is home. At least… it's supposed to be." Jordan grins, "Nixie… as important as your people are to you, I thought you knew this by now." When she still looks confused, he explains, "A place is not a home. A place… it's nothing. Not unless the people in it matter to you."

Gesturing around them, he says, "I know you've promised to tear down the entire world, if that's what it takes to keep all of them safe. But that doesn't mean you'd be destroying your home. Home is the people. It's the family that you've created. It's the people you choose to surround yourself with."

He kisses her gently, and then says, "So… we'll go wherever home ends up being for us. We'll go wherever our people go. So long as we do that, everything will work out for the best. I promise."

Nixie stares at him for a long time, and then smiles gently. Reaching out to cup his cheek in her hand, the other resting on his chest, she says, "I love you. So, so much." "I love you too, baby. Always." "Always."

She kisses him one more time, and then sighs before saying, "Alright. Let's go convince Noah that he should've listened to me a long time ago, and fired half the people in this building. Even if they are kind of decent."

Of course, upon getting inside and seeing that Theo, along with two other supernaturals are in the lockup, Nixie opts for waiting to hear what's going on in that situation first. Scott glances at her in relief as they stand around Noah's desk. He'd already explained the story to the sheriff as best he could, but he'd known it wouldn't be that easy. Nixie may have told Noah her opinion of some of the people working here before, but that didn't change the fact that he had worked with some of them for years.

It was going to take all of them to convince him that Gerard had gotten to some of his officers. And as Nixie grins up at Scott, he can't help but feel the weight of some of that responsibility leave his shoulders. Nixie would get it done. One way or another, she'd make Noah see that this was happening, whether he liked it or not.

But for now… Theo was talking to the other two people in the cell with him, trying to figure out why the hell he was in jail, when he hadn't done anything wrong.

Nixie takes a moment to look at the screen with her dragon eyes. Not liking Theo already put her in the biased position of thinking he was probably guilty, no matter what he said. But, as he continued talking… she couldn't help sighing before saying to Noah, "I'm still not particularly fond of this SOB. But… he's not lying. At least, not right now anyway."

Noah nods his appreciation at that assessment, and then looks back down as the other two supernaturals finally confess that, yes, they had killed someone. In self-defense.

Nixie tilts her head at that… not completely buying the words their saying. But she keeps that to herself for now. Just because the self-defense part was a bit of a lie, didn't mean they were the cold-blooded murderers that everyone else seemed to think they were.

Noah motions for Jordan to go ahead and let Theo out of his cell. Patting Nixie on the back, Jordan whispers, "Good luck." She smiles at him, but as soon as he's out the door, Nixie moves so she can watch the monitor again. Noah would comment on the fact that she definitely wasn't supposed to be allowed to look at that. But… well, it's Theo. And it's Jordan. It's Jordan with Theo.

So instead, Noah opts for running a hand up her back comfortingly, before turning to Scott, who was now trying to argue a case for the other two in the cell. Because if people on the force were a part of Gerard's army now… well, this definitely wasn't a good place for them to be.

Noah simply tosses down the folder holding their records in it, and says, "I'm not letting them out. We've got two bodies covered in slash marks. They just confessed to killing two people." Scott exclaims, "Hunters!" "People, Scott. And self-defense or not, they're still here, and the other guys are dead. And there's a process I have to follow."

Nixie looks up, about to comment on the fact that Noah was supposed to be learning to 'bend'. But before she can, Noah holds up a finger to her. "Yes, Nixie, I'm aware that the rules get bent a little in the realm of the supernatural. But in this current situation, I can't just let them walk free. We don't actually know what happened yet. And until we have a clearer picture, they stay."

Looking to Scott, Nixie can only shrug helplessly at that. Sighing, Scott says, "But… Sheriff, you know what's happening around here. It's not safe for them." Noah shakes his head in disagreement, "This may actually be the safest place for them in Beacon Hills. At least I can protect them here."

Nixie takes a moment to ponder that while Lydia asks, "Would Stiles think that?" And Malia adds, "Especially if one of your deputies is working for Gerard?" Noah scoffs, "I'm not buying that. I know these deputies like the back of my hand. I know their families, their kids, their brothers and sisters. I know who they are and I trust them."

Liam shakes his head, "You know who they were. There's something out there. Everyone's afraid. And it's getting worse!" Scott nods, "You can't protect two werewolves from hunters if they're already on the inside."

Noah looks around at all of them for a moment, and then finally glances at Nixie. Her eyes were already on him, and at the slightly aggravated edge to that deep blue, he leans back and asks, "What?" "What on earth do you mean, 'what'? Have I not, repeatedly, on several many occasions, told you that I do not completely trust half of your department? Me! The one who looks at people and determines whether we can like them or not! Is any of this ringing any bells?"

Sighing, Noah says, "Nixie… look, I…" "No, Noah. I get it. And before, I understood. You literally couldn't afford to fire anybody, because who the hell else would risk coming to work in this town, where every three months some new catastrophe strikes. I got that. But you can't seriously be standing here asking how we can think a deputy has been turned, when I have never been able to fully give you my blessing on everyone in this building."

Silence for a moment after that, and then he sighs before turning to the young girl on the couch. "It's Quinn, right?" She nods shakily, still a bit disheveled after what happened to her. Nixie supposes being shot in the head is bound to do that to some people.

As Noah works on getting her story, Nixie pulls Scott aside. Sighing, she says, "I'm all for convincing Noah that not everyone he works with is up to snuff. But… this actually might still be the safest place for them to be." Eyes widening, he asks, "Why? How?!" Nixie gives him a look that clearly says he needs to calm the hell down. Then she says, "Because it's the sheriff's station. A cop might be able to get away with shooting a werewolf out on the street. If he's by himself, there are no witnesses. But here, at the station… there's entirely too many eyes on the situation."

Glancing at Noah, she adds, "And let's face it. Everyone knows that Noah is on our side. Which means if he sees so much as a pinky inch towards a trigger, he may very well throw them in a cell until something else can be worked out."

Scott ponders that a moment, and then nods, "So… as long as Noah's here, they should still be safe." "Exactly."

Nixie then glances out to where Jordan is having Theo sign out his personal belongings. Patting Scott on the shoulder, she says, "Keep trying to make him understand that he can't trust everyone he's hired. I'll be back to help in a minute."

All Theo has to do is sign the release form, and he can walk out of here. But as he's holding the pen over the paper, he pauses in his actions. He hears… well, he's not entirely sure what it is. But he knows he hears something out of the ordinary. He's spent enough time in this station now, alone with his thoughts, to know it's not something he should be hearing.

Nonetheless, he asks the deputy before him, "Do you hear that?" Jordan gives him a confused look, but then glances up to see Nixie approaching. Theo does too, and then does something neither of them expected. Rather than lean back and away from her, he reaches out towards her. Gripping her wrist in his hand, he asks desperately, "Please, tell me you hear that?"

Jordan has half a mind to rip Theo's hand away from his wife… but when Nixie simply stands there for a moment, not forcing Theo to get off herself… he throws her a confused expression. She shrugs, but then closes her eyes and focuses on the sounds around her. And yes… she can hear it. Something…

Opening her eyes, she says to Jordan, "It sounds like generators, I think. But that doesn't make any…"

A flash of light temporarily blinds them all as it shines in from the front side of the building. Coming in through all the windows, it almost makes it look like the lights within the station aren't even on. Nixie glances down at Theo's hand on her wrist for a moment, and then jerks it away before glancing at the windows again.

She didn't need to catch a scent to know who was behind this. The scene had Tamora Monroe's name written all over it.

As everyone moves around to try and figure out what's wrong, Noah comes out. "Get away from the windows! Put those guns away!" Jordan moves up to Noah's side and says, "I'm guessing you know who's out there." Sighing, Noah turns to them and says, "I've got a pretty good idea." "Sheriff, they'll be armed to the teeth." "Which is why I won't be."

As Noah sets his pistol down on Jordan's desk, Nixie has half a mind to snatch at his collar and drag him back into his office. Going out there alone? What, was he stupid?!

Jordan has a similar thought, though his solution to the 'going alone' bit is, "I'm going with you."

Nixie can't decide whether she's more annoyed, or impressed that, without even really needing to glance at her, Jordan caught her wrist before she could smack him upside the head. Noah glances between the two of them, and then said to Jordan, "No, you're gonna get some deputies, check the exits, and hope we're not completely surrounded."

Leaning in closer, Noah adds, "And keep an eye out. Let's make sure we're all on the same side here."

Well, at least there was one positive at the moment. Scott had convinced Noah that it was possible not all of his deputies could be trusted. Jordan gives Nixie's wrist a squeeze, and then moves to gather up some help to check the exits. Noah waits for him to be on his way to do that task, and then turns to Nixie.

She looked ready to argue with him until she turned blue in the face about him going out there alone. Not that her being blue in the face could be considered a bad thing anymore. And in that light, before she can begin putting in her argument, Noah says, "You… will come with me."

The shock on her face makes Noah grin a bit, but then he straightens his features and says, "You're bulletproof, right?" She nods, and then again when Noah asks, "And you'll be quick enough if they start shooting at us out there?"

Nodding himself, he says, "Stay with me. And please, don't speak to these guys. Let me do the talking." "Noah! You're taking all the fun out of helping with the negotiations!" Then, to Noah's relief, she takes a breath and says, "And now the sarcasm is out of my system. I will remain silent. Unless one of them does something incredibly stupid. So pray that none of them do that."

Lydia's incredulous stare tells Nixie that she'd better damn well not do anything stupid herself. It didn't matter that she was bulletproof. She has a kid on the way. And the only reason Lydia wasn't making a scene, is because she knows Noah isn't going to let anyone else go with him.

Stepping outside, Noah lifts his hands into the air, showing he wasn't armed. Nixie marches beside him, one hand positioned at her hip, the other hanging carelessly at her side.

That hand already had a blade in it, tucked into her sleeve at the moment. And the one at her hip was resting on another way, prepared to flip it open at a moment's notice.

When they reach Monroe, Noah glances around at all the people with her and says, "I'm gonna assume you've all got permits for these weapons."

All weapons cock and load. A briefly endless sound of metal and bullets clashing together as the arsenal they have with them is readied and prepped for use. One man, on the other side of Monroe, takes a step forward, shotgun at his side nearly being lifted up and aimed at Noah, the sheriff.

Noah closes his eyes for a moment in disappointment. Because if a gun ended up pointed at him, there was no way in hell a conversation could happen past this point. Nixie would drag him back inside, and then come back out and freeze the entire parking lot, until everything and everyone in it were nothing more than ice sculptures.

After a moment of silence though, Noah opens his eyes and finds himself surprised that nothing more is happening yet.

Monroe, for her part, has not forgotten what Nixie said down in the tunnels when Scott tried to have his 'peace summit'. Having the weapons was fine. Having them loaded and ready, equally fine. She was all for a fair fight. But the very second that a weapon was pointed at someone she cared about, would also be the second in which you lost the ability to keep hold of it.

And the more human the person she was with, the less lenient Nixie was with how much you could get away with. Guns could be pointed at some of her supernatural friends. Those that were fast enough to avoid being shot, and those that could heal if they got hit. But if they didn't heal, and they weren't fast, the gun had best not even lift from pointing at the ground.

Noah glances between Monroe and Nixie, who are currently locked in a staring contest. Monroe's hand is out in front of the man at her side, calmly and silently telling him to stand down and stay where he is. Nixie's hand at her hip has already flipped out a dagger. Finger gingerly holding it by the blade itself, Monroe can tell she's ready to throw it directly at whatever idiot attempts to point a gun at her sheriff.

Monroe glances at the blade then, signifying she sees it. Nixie, in turn, nods towards the person that Monroe is holding back. They'd stopped, yes that was true. But Nixie wanted more. So Monroe waved them to back up to where they had been before.

Nixie breaks her promise of silence at that, but not in any way that should bother Noah. Slipping her dagger back into her leather belt, she simply comments, "I give you this much. You are a quick study, Ms. Monroe."

Noah looks between the two again, and then glances at everyone one more time. Then he comes back to Monroe, "You know, situations like this are the whole reason we have a judicial system." Monroe simply tilts her head, "Justice is about fairness. There's nothing fair about a werewolf versus a human."

Then she glances at Nixie, "There's nothing really fair about this particular situation either. But I'll let it slide." Nixie raises an eyebrow as Noah says, "I'm unarmed. You have easily over a thousand bullets between all of you." Monroe simply nods to Nixie, "Something tells me, as long as you've got her at your side, I could have a million bullets, and not one of them would actually hit you if she didn't want them to."

Noah glances at her, but all she can do is shrug. Monroe might not know exactly how Nixie would stop all the bullets from hitting Noah… but she wasn't wrong. Hell would freeze over before so much as a thumbtack hit Noah, so long as Nixie was there to stop it.

Back to Monroe, Noah says, "Regardless, if you think it's fair to hand two kids over to a lynch mob, this is gonna be a pretty short conversation."

While Monroe talks to him about something called a 'subduction zone', Nixie turns her head so her ear is towards the station again. She didn't care about a subduction zone. It was some sort of geography term, and Nixie associates that with history… which is still her least favorite subject.

Inside the station, she can hear Scott calming Malia down from what might've been the beginnings of a panic attack. She can also hear Theo, Liam, and Malia arguing about what they're supposed to do now. And she hears them determine that they need to get the hell out of here. With Jiang and Tierney as well.

Nixie doesn't hear how they intend to do that, because then Jordan's voice covers the others. And if he were speaking to anybody else, they probably would've thought that it was just a sound warning, a word of caution because a person was worried. But this… Nixie can hear that his frustration and anger is only barely contained by his patience as he says, "If you do not come back in here within the next five minutes, I am going to come out and haul you back in here myself."

Nixie's eyes widen at that statement, and she remains so frozen that Jordan actually says after that, "Baby… can you hear me?" His tone gentled the second time, clearly aware that, if she had heard him, he'd surprised her with how upset he was that she was out there right now. Turning her head more, she glances up briefly to meet his eyes, which are now looking out the window at her along with several other officers. And they didn't need to be glowing orange for her to know he was not happy with this current situation. It didn't matter that they'd talked about the fact that she couldn't just stand on the sidelines while everyone else was fighting, all because she was pregnant. The fact remained that, she _was_ pregnant.

And yes, maybe this was a little stupid on her part. There was a line she needed to find, between what she should clearly still attempt to do while carrying around a baby, and what she should most definitely avoid, also because she was carrying a baby. But in Nixie's defense, Noah wouldn't have taken anyone else with him. No one else was bulletproof.

Now she'll just have to try and explain that to Jordan when they got back inside. Because her hellhound husband would totally understand. Right?

Back to Monroe, she hears the woman say, "We need to release the pressure, sheriff." Noah crosses his arms, "If by 'release the pressure', you mean murder two children, that's not gonna happen."

Monroe clearly didn't expect to be met with this much resistance from Noah. Confident smile slipping, she comes closer and says to both of them, "Right now, I am the only thing holding this mob back from storming the station. And at some point, they're gonna stop listening to me." Angry himself, Noah hisses at her, "Do you want a bloodbath?" "I'm trying to stop one. All you have to do is bring them out. I don't care if they're dead, or alive."

Noah stares at her for a moment, and then glances back at Nixie. Looking up at him, she tilts her head, clearly asking if she was allowed to speak or not. Monroe, for her part, glances between them in fascination.

Noah then nods to Nixie, who says, "She's the only reason they all know Jiang and Tierney are even here. So I don't know how she thinks she's the one trying to stop a bloodbath, when she's the one who made it a possibility in the first place."

She glares at Monroe for a moment, who looks surprised that Nixie was able to figure that out. Then Nixie steps closer to Noah and whispers, "But, if you intend to do something before Scott and everyone else simply rushes out here to try and break out… then I suggest you do it quickly. They're getting ready."

Nodding, Noah turns back to Monroe and says, "I need time to go over everything." Monroe narrows her eyes at him and Nixie, but then concedes, "You have until midnight. Then… well, then it gets messy." Nixie raises an eyebrow at that, but before she can comment, Noah grips her arm and steers her to join him in walking back to the station.

When they step inside, it's impossible to miss the heat that immediately wraps around them. Noah doesn't stop walking, but Nixie can feel Jordan come up to be directly behind her.

They find Scott and the others preparing to go out another set of doors at the side of the building. Even Theo, to Nixie's amusement, has his claws out and is ready to fight their way out of here. But before they actually open the door, Noah shouts, "Nobody's going anywhere."

All heads snap around to look at him, and then Lydia says, "I can get through them."

Nixie raises an eyebrow at that, but then can't help smirking when Noah replies, "We're not gonna fire the first shot."

It was on the tip of her tongue to remind him that they were supernatural creatures. They had no intention of firing any shots. But before she can speak, Jordan reaches forward to grip her arm. Not meanly, in any sense. But she felt the warning in his touch, nonetheless.

It was seldom that the occasion ever occurred, when Jordan couldn't handle any more of her sarcasm for a time. He'd only ever actually asked her to hold off on it one time that she can think of, and he hadn't even been mad then. The other times… well, Nixie usually knew better.

Not today apparently. She turns to look at him, genuine worry on her face. He was upset, she got that. But…

The look on her face calmed him slightly. He knew that his frustration might be a bit of an overreaction. If she were in any other kind of condition, he might not have been bothered so much by her going out with Noah to face a lynch mob… Okay, yes he would. Nixie doing dangerous things was something that always worried him, regardless of whether or not she was fully capable of handling it. But he wouldn't have reacted quite this poorly, if she weren't also pregnant.

Noah motions everyone away from the door, and then says, "Parrish, get these two back in their cell."

The squeeze to her arm is gentle, and some of the heat in the room lets up as Jordan steps away to do as he's been asked. Scott dashes over to Noah and asks, "What happened?"

Nixie stares after Jordan for a moment longer, and then rubs a hand up and down her arm before answering, "Oh, we had a lovely conversation with the bitch of the century. Weren't you already aware of that?" Scott gives her a look, but then turns to Noah when he explains, "She gave us until midnight."

Looking around at everyone, Noah then says, "And since I have no intention of handing over two kids to the mob out there, it means we need to spend some time preparing. Help me set up a barricade at the front."

Desks are overturned, guns loaded and shotguns pulled out. Nixie looks over at Jordan on occasion, wondering when they're going to actually find a moment to discuss their differing views on how the earlier situation should've been handled. She knows Jordan technically volunteered to go with Noah in the first place. And if the sheriff had been willing to take Jordan with him, that would've solved the whole problem right there. But the fact remained that Noah had particularly selected Nixie to accompany him.

Whether because he knew she wasn't going to let him go alone, or because he really did want the bulletproof one among them at his side… Nixie isn't sure. But she is the only one he would've allowed to step outside with him.

And yes, Nixie is aware that maybe Noah wouldn't have even considered it, if he'd known she was pregnant. But that was the whole point of keeping it a secret right now! Right?!

Currently, her husband was helping overturn one of the desks to block the main entrance. Muscles flexing, tight shirt showing off his physique… Nixie bites at her bottom lip for a brief moment before shaking her head sharply and turning back to her own task. Damn pregnancy hormones. She did not need this right now.

Running a hand through her hair, trying to picture the argument in her head so she could be braced to state her side… and win… Nixie then blinks when Lydia catches her elbow and tugs her into a nearby spare room. Shutting the door behind them, Lydia crosses her arms and asks, "What's wrong with you?"

Nixie blinks again, and then shrugs, "Nothing." "Nixie, something is bothering you. What is it? Is it the…" She gestures to Nixie's stomach, knowing she can't exactly mention the baby aloud with all the other supernaturals in the same building. Nixie gives her a look, "No… it's not that."

Smirking, Lydia says, "Then it is something." Nixie rolls her eyes, "Lydia…" "Nixie, just tell me. Is it Jordan? You've been looking at him a lot since you got back inside. Or… is that just the hormones making you…"

Nixie tosses up her hands before Lydia can go any further. Letting out a sigh, Nixie says, "He… is not happy that I went out there with Noah. Which… I guess I understand. Sort of. But if everything was still normal, I would've…"

Lydia moves up to Nixie, placing her hands on her shoulders. Sighing, she says, "Nixie… I know we're… operating on the DL, because you want things to stay the same for as long as possible. At least as far as what everyone asks of you. You don't want to be babied, and I get that. But… the fact remains that, things are actually different. You know it. We know it. And in certain circumstances… well, you have to act like it. Just a little bit."

Nixie ponders that a moment, and then huffs before saying, "You're supposed to be on my side." Lydia grins, but then watches as Nixie glances out to where Jordan and Noah are talking. Nixie didn't bite at her bottom lip, or look like she was eager to get back to Jordan in any sense right now. Which… well, even at her worst, Nixie had always wanted to be with Jordan. Even if she'd thought it would be better to stay away, she always wanted to be with him.

Lydia tilts her head, but when Nixie looks back at her, she just shakes her head and says, "I'm fine. Just… not looking forward to arguing with my husband right now." Smiling gently, Lydia asks, "Want me to butter him up for you?"

And to Lydia's surprise, Nixie's tone has no sarcasm in it when she says softly, "If you think you can."

Outside, Jordan was looking around for Nixie. He'd seen Lydia take her somewhere to have a chat. Hopefully the banshee was talking some sense into her as well. When both girls exit the spare room they'd been in, he makes to follow after Nixie, who is heading herself in the direction of the lounge area.

Lydia intercepts him, glancing back to see that Nixie's disappeared into the other room. Then she turns to Jordan and says, "Be easy with her." Raising an eyebrow, he replies, "Do not tell me she convinced you to take her side."

The sternness in her gaze tells Jordan that he needs to take a step back for a moment, and really consider what she's about to say. Then she sighs, "First of all, it's Nixie. I owe her more than I'll ever be able to repay. In that sense, I'm always on her side. That being said… no, I don't agree with the idea of her walking out there into the hands of the lynch mob that Monroe has put together. At least, not considering everything."

Shrugging, Lydia then leans closer so she can whisper. Hopefully, none of the werewolves in the room are listening to them right now. "Jordan… I think you need to be braced for the fact that… well, that Nixie might actually be getting ready to have a typical response to a situation. Typical for someone in her 'condition', I mean."

Jordan gets that she means 'pregnant', so he tilts his head, "What do you mean?" Lydia rolls her eyes, "I don't know. And I don't think she does either. But when I asked if she wanted me to come and butter you up first, she actually said for me to do it if I thought I could. And that is not something Nixie would normally feel the need to do. So just… go easy. Because if she has a 'typical' response to the fight you're about to have, like crying, because of her given her condition… well, we can't afford that right now."

Nodding after a moment more of thought, Jordan then heads in the direction Nixie went.

For her own part, she didn't really understand why she felt this sudden tightness in her chest. Her throat also felt like it wasn't going to continue cooperating pretty soon. And there were tears trying to build up in her eyes. Which is the stupidest thing Nixie thinks she's ever heard. It's not like she and Jordan haven't argued or disagreed before. Why the hell should this be different?

Clearing her features, she turns towards the doorway when she hears him come in. Jordan looks back at her for a moment, and then turns and shuts the door behind him. Then, facing her again, he pauses for a moment to try and figure out how to broach this.

In the end, he finally just huffs. Running a hand over his face, he then tosses up both hands and asks in what he hopes is still a gentle voice, "What the hell, Nixie?" She crosses her arms in response and says, "Noah asked for me." "And you could've said no." "That would've seemed strange to everyone." "Nixie, I really don't care about that right now."

Narrowing her eyes, Nixie says, "I won't sit on the sidelines." "I'm not asking you to sit on the sidelines. I'm asking you to consider, on occasion, letting someone else take a shot at being the badass." Pondering that for a moment, Nixie then grins slightly before saying, "I don't know if you've noticed, but being the badass is my thing in this group. I'm irreplaceable."

Jordan does not smile back at her, and Nixie's tiny grin slips when she sees his jaw tense and work in overtime, trying to keep himself together.

Note to self, now was one of the few moments in life where sarcasm definitely needed to stay out of the conversation.

Taking a breath to steady himself, he says, "Nixie… you can't… you just can't do that. And I don't mean everything. But walking out there, towards an angry mob, with nothing more than Noah at your side… you have to see that that's not okay!" Glaring now, Nixie says, "If I hadn't gone, Noah would've been left alone." "He's human. They would not have hurt him." "You don't know that. It's why you volunteered to go out with him in the first place." "True! I'm not positive about what any of them would've done to Noah. But I do know that they are well aware of the fact that you aren't human. And these people are all hell-bent on killing supernatural creatures. And I seriously doubt they care about how rare you are, Nixie."

As his rant continues, Nixie turns away from him, tears building in her eyes again. This was stupid, so stupid. He wasn't even yelling at her. If he was, then maybe tears would've been understandable. Maybe. She's not really sure. Jordan hadn't ever actually yelled at her before. Raised his voice, sure. But not yelled.

Gritting her teeth, willing herself to calm down, she curses under her breath when it doesn't seem to be working. She was going to lose it. She was going to break down crying, and the storm of the century would follow her tears. And then their deadline of midnight would disappear, and people would start dying. And…

Her own internal rant would've continued, if not for the warm hands that suddenly landed on her shoulders. Squeezing gently, Jordan pauses a minute before asking, "Baby, what's wrong?" Glaring at the door before her, she manages to get out, "Nothing."

Yeah, that wasn't convincing. Her throat was trying to lock up on her. Jordan squeezes her tense shoulders again, and then says gently, "Look at me." She shakes her head, but Jordan turns her anyway. She keeps her head and eyes averted for as long as she can, but it's no use. Jordan backs her up to the counter, cups her face in his hands, and then blue eyes meet gentle hazel ones.

His eyes flitted between hers briefly, and then he asks gently, "You know why I'm upset, right? Tell me you understand that?" Nixie nods sharply, but then gets out, "Noah wouldn't have…" Jordan shakes his head, "No… no, don't try to argue. Nixie, I'm not attacking you, alright? I'm not… I'm not mad because going with Noah makes sense to you. On any other day, in any other situation, it would make sense, and we would not be having this conversation."

Brushing his thumbs against her cheeks, he adds, "But… we are in a rather unique situation. And you… Nixie, you've got to work with me a little bit here. I'm all for you not sitting on the sidelines. I can handle you fighting alongside your friends, pretty much the same as always. But that… walking out there, directly into the sights of guns that were most definitely directed more at you, with no one other than Noah to help protect you…"

Nixie huffs, "Noah wasn't there to protect me. I was there to protect…" Jordan gives her a look, and then gives her a moment to think about that. Sighing, she says, "Which… is part of the point you're trying to make." Jordan nods, and then smiles gently before saying, "Next time… and God forbid there is one… but if there is a next time, please take me with you. Or take someone with you. Or cuff Noah to his desk and don't let him go at all. Any of those options, I can get on board with."

Relaxing a little, Nixie says, "Just not the one where I'm, literally, the only line of defense." Jordan nods, and then breathes a sigh of relief when Nixie concedes, "Okay."

Then he brushes at a tear that's managed to leak from the corner of her eye. Kissing her forehead, he says, "Now, tell me how to fix this? What's wrong?" "I don't know. I think I'm mad at the fact that we were fighting." "We were fighting? I thought we were having a rather civilized negotiation."

Nixie grins, and then takes in a deep breath, trying to relieve some of the tightness in her chest. Sighing when it doesn't quite help, she shrugs and says, "I just… I don't know. Need to squeeze the life out of something or… or something like that. I feel like if I don't do something to get rid of the tension that's built up, I'm gonna explode."

Nodding, Jordan ponders that a moment. Then he grins and asks, "Squeeze the life out of something?" "Well… something like that." "I see. So… let me try something."

Nixie jumps in surprise when Jordan grips her hips. Picking her up and placing her on the counter, he draws her to the very edge, and then settles himself between her legs that have wrapped around him on instinct.

He doesn't waste time teasing her. His hands slide beneath the shirt she's wearing, fingers digging in with the perfect amount of pressure as they scale up her body. Nixie, in turn, wraps her arms around his shoulders tightly, legs locking around him and holding him as close as possible. And as he presses in deeper, he also moves to kiss the curve of her neck. Slow and long and sucking hard for a moment, relishing in the way her grip tightens and her breath quickens at his actions.

When he feels her fingers running through his hair, Jordan hums before asking, "Better?" Her entire body seems to slowly let out a shudder of relief, followed by a shaky but relaxed breath before she nods, "Much better. But you should probably quit." "And why is that?" "Because I'm not above attempting to strip you down right here, in the sheriff's station. Even with the mob outside that's waiting to kill us."

He chuckles at her, and Nixie grins to see that he's back to accepting her ever-present sarcasm. His fingers remain on her skin though, keeping up the pressure as he runs them up and down. He briefly traces her spine, smiling when she arches further into him.

Finally, when he feels her breathe out a sigh of complete contentment, he kisses her neck languidly before asking, "You ready to get back out there and deal with this?" Nixie nods, and then adds for his benefit, "In a fashion that does not involve me sprinting headfirst into gunfire, all by myself." "Beautiful."

As he sets her back on her feet though, they both jerk their heads up as the light in the room extinguishes. The dying hum of all the electricity in the station is rather distinct as they're all plunged into darkness. Sighing, Nixie says, "That can't be good." Jordan nods, "I'll find Noah and Scott." "And I will find Lydia, Liam, and hopefully Malia. Unless she's already with Scott, which is completely possible at this point."

Jordan raises an eyebrow, but then just chuckles a bit when she adds, "Yeah, that's a thing. It'll probably happen rather soon. Honestly, it should've already happened. But apparently, in this pack, we decide to wait until it feels like the world is going to end, before we reveal our true feelings to the people that matter to us." He kisses her one more time, and then says, "Yeah. That does seem to be a bit of a thing with all of us. Now, let's go."

Nixie had just found Lydia, along with Quinn. They were both looking for a way to communicate with someone on the outside. But cell phones were being jammed, and even the radios were only bringing in static. Lydia is about to inform Nixie that it means someone in the station was definitely working against them… when someone in the main office shouts, "Too easy!"

Stepping out to join the others, Nixie sees a young kid, probably a sophomore or junior from the look of him, get tossed to the ground by a deputy. She, with fury written on her face, is also carrying a pair of bolt cutters.

Nixie wants to ask who the hell he is, but then jumps in surprise when Liam demands angrily, "Throw him out!" Because Nixie knew that, obviously, this kid wasn't on their side. He was human, and he was probably working with the people outside already. But…

He was terrified. And he didn't feel like Monroe, or any of the others outside. Some of them only felt terrified, and the rest of what they were doing was in response to that fear. But others, like Monroe, truly had dark auras that went right along with the actions they were taking now.

But this kid… his aura wasn't dark. Nixie snaps her blue eyes on so she can look at him more assuredly, and then quickly stows them away again. The kid wasn't evil. He just… he didn't want to be scared anymore.

Maybe that's what a majority of this town was feeling. They were just tired of being afraid.

Which also meant that this 'thing' that had escaped the wild hunt… it had definitely found the right town to escape in.

Lydia whispers to Nixie, "That's Nolan. The one who stabbed Corey with the pen and exposed him." Nixie nods, and then looks to Noah as the kid begs, "No! Okay, please don't! She… she'll know I screwed up." Liam grits his teeth, "He's with them."

Scott gives his beta a look of warning, telling him to calm down. Jordan glances over at Nixie, who is looking at the boy on the ground with a mix of annoyance… but also pity. She was shaking her head, but there was also a tenderness in her gaze as she looked upon this kid who was, clearly, still an enemy to them. Turning back to Noah, he asks, "Sheriff?"

But Liam, ignoring Scott's gaze, says, "He's a liar! And he's sick in the head."

He would've gone on, but Nixie gently says, "Liam." He looks up at her, to which she explains, "I get it. I really do. But on a scale of one to ten, your anger is at, like, a twenty. I need you to dial it back to at least just a ten for right now."

Liam does have to take a minute to inhale a few deep breaths, but then he nods. He turns slightly away from the situation, obviously worried he wouldn't be able to keep that up. But he was going to try.

It obviously helped relax him further when Nixie adds, "That's my boy."

Then she turns when Noah asks, "Nixie?" He just nods towards the kid on the ground, and then shrugs, obviously saying he wasn't entirely sure what to do. He needed her opinion on how dangerous this kid actually was.

She shrugs in turn, and then steps up to him so she can whisper. Scott tilts his head to hear, and is surprised when she says, "Of the people outside that we've been dealing with so far… he's the least threatening. He, literally, only cares about not being afraid anymore. This method, this army that Monroe and Gerard are building… this is just the option that he was pulled into. If he finds a better one, fine. But until then… this is helping him to not feel so afraid."

She glances around the office for a moment, trying to figure out which one of these officers might be against them. Then she says to Noah, "But… he does have an air of deceit about him right now. Stronger than should be normal. He's not telling us something. And he's… also trying to trick us."

Noah glances at the kid, and then asks, "About what?" "I don't know. The auras and feelings I get don't come with that specific of a guideline." He gives her a look, to which she shrugs, "What? I'm just saying."

He ponders that a moment more, and then says, "Well, until we know exactly what it is they're trying to pull in here, I say we keep him until we figure it out." Aloud for everyone, he says, "He's under arrest. Parrish, lock him up."

As soon as he's gone, Lydia pulls Nixie aside. Glancing around them, she then asks, "How are you doing?" Nixie raises an eyebrow, "Um… good. You?" Lydia gives Nixie an exasperated look, and then glances back at Jordan when he comes back in. Closing her eyes, Nixie says, "Oh… you mean how did that conversation go. Well, I didn't break down into tears. Almost did, but Jordan fixed it."

Smiling when Lydia rolls her eyes and nearly throws up her hands, Nixie then says gently, "I will no longer be walking into situations where I'm the only line of defense for myself and the other person. Meaning that when it comes to walking outside with ordinary humans, someone else will have to accompany me. But with you weirdos, I'm still fine." Lydia can't help grinning, "Well, thank God for that." "Right!"

They go back to join the others near the barricaded windows, watching for any new activity outside. Maybe the fact that Nolan didn't rejoin them after a certain point would trigger some sort of response.

A clatter is heard on the ground behind them, and as Jordan turns to glance back at it, he sees the flash grenade on the ground, pin pulled, and preparing to go off. "GET DOWN!"

Nixie, standing near Lydia and Malia, grabs both and jerks them to the ground. Scales covering every inch of skin, she covers them with her body against whatever onslaught might come.

A blinding flash of light, followed by smoke, fills every space in the station for a moment. Nixie glances over at another deputy on the ground nearby, her eyes wide as saucers at seeing the blue scales that are now on the surface of Nixie's skin. Feeling that there's no debris or anything that's going to hit them, no other explosion happening, Nixie shrugs at the officer, and then quickly has them shift back to being beneath the surface.

Standing up, Nixie snaps her eyes to Noah when he shouts, "They said midnight!" But as he makes to move the barricade from the door, Nixie sighs in relief when Jordan grabs hold of him. Shaking his head, Jordan emphasizes, "It came from in here. Sheriff… it was one of us."

Then Liam, who had left the room apparently, drags Nolan back in with him. Holding up a vile of purple liquid, Liam says to Scott, "Wolfsbane. He was trying to kill them."

Nixie walks over, with Malia and Lydia, and then takes the vile from Liam. Stowing it in her pocket, she glares at Nolan and says, "And now we can proceed to beat the shit out of him." Scott sighs," Nixie…" "What?! I didn't threaten to kill him." "Yeah, well, now you're at like a twenty, and I need you dialed back to a ten."

Nixie raises an eyebrow, but then grins, "Nope. Hate to break it to you, but the scale of one to ten is only for you guys. My scale, goes all the way to a hundred. So twenty, as you say, is actually pretty mild." "Sarcasm? Really?" "Yes. Deal with it, oh alpha of mine."

He grins at her finally, and then they both turn to Liam when he says, "Love you guys, I really do. But… this is important. There's something else you need to see."

As he explains to them what he'd seen in Jiang and Tierney's eyes before he'd dragged Nolan away, Nixie frowns a bit while Liam takes them back to the cell and then demands, "Show them your eyes." Tierney's response is simply, "We never said we were innocent." Scott glances at Nixie, who shrugs but says sadly, "We need to know who we're protecting."

Turning back to them, Scott says softly, "Show me." When they don't respond immediately, Nixie huffs and whispers under her breath, "We don't have time for this." And apparently, Scott was listening. The roar he lets out is deafening, followed by his command of, "SHOW ME!"

And when Jiang and Tierney lift their heads, blue eyes are what meet Scott's red gaze. Closing his eyes, he lets his head thump against the bars of the cell. For a moment, no one says anything. Nixie, for her part, decides that Scott needs a moment to think.

Finally, he turns to her and says wearily, "Can you ask Jordan for his key card to the cells? I don't want to talk to them through the bars?" Nixie nods, and moves away to do that.

Jordan, for his part, is trying to help Noah discover who the hell set off the flash grenade in this room. He turns when Nixie taps him on the shoulder though, and asks, "What's up?" "Can I borrow your key card to the cells?"

He raises an eyebrow, but hands it over without any actual hesitation. Then he simply says, "Keep me posted." He's turning back to Noah, who is looking at him with a mixture of amusement and complete shock. Jordan just shrugs, because it's not like Nixie wouldn't have gotten the key card from him anyway.

Then Jordan finds himself turned back around, and Nixie's lips are pressed against his. Falling into that kiss for a moment, his hands landing at her hips and squeezing gently, he then pulls back and asks, "What's that for?" She simply smiles, "For being the most amazing husband ever."

He chuckles, and then watches as Nixie's eyes rake over him for a moment. Huffing, he asks in a whisper, "Really? Here? We're in the middle of a crisis." "My hormones don't care. Besides, I find it incredibly and wonderfully hot when I ask you for things I shouldn't be allowed to have, and you just give them to me without a second thought." "Yeah, well, if you don't want me to take it back, you better stop ogling me and get back to Scott." Nixie lets her mouth drop open in false offense, but then she just smiles and says, "Fine. It's not like I can't go back to ogling you later."

Jordan is still shaking his head when she leaves, and when he turns back to Noah, who is now eyeballing both of them curiously, he simply says, "Don't even ask."

Back with Scott, Nixie slides the card through the slot, and pushes the door aside so he can step in. Sighing, he says, "Tell me what happened." Again, it's Tierney that answers, "They were hunters." But Scott shakes his head, "If I'm asking my friends to risk their lives for you, then you have to tell me the truth. What happened?"

Tierney puts a hand on Jiang's, clearly telling him that they shouldn't say a word. Jiang wasn't inclined to agree, but so far, he would follow her lead. He had already gotten them into trouble when Theo had gotten them to admit that they'd killed someone.

But as Scott is about to demand it again, Nixie steps into the room with them. Eyes narrowing on Tierney for a moment, she then nods and says to her alpha, "Hand them over." Scott snaps his eyes to her, same as Tierney and Jiang do. "Nix…" She just gives Scott a look, "I do not have the patience to deal with this. And I have a great deal of patience. But these two jackasses have spent the entire day and part of the night keeping half of the story from us. And we have spent the entire day and part of the night trying to keep them safe. And now we know that, potentially, they're actually just cold-blooded murderers who don't deserve any protection at all."

Throwing an arm out towards them, she adds, "If they don't want to explain to us how in the hell it actually was self-defense, then that's just fine. But in my opinion, when you can't explain that it was self-defense, then that means it wasn't fucking self-defense. And I'm not going to stand here and try and defend a couple of killers, simply because they're supernatural, like me."

She steps up to Scott and says in a gentler tone, "You are my family. I will fight, defend, and die to protect you. I will not do the same for them. And if they will not even tell us the truth, so that _you_ know why you want to protect them, then I am not going to just let you continue to do so. There has to be a line, Scott. A line that determines when we need to just cut someone loose. And for me, right now, not having the truth from them, is going to be that line."

They stare at each other a moment more, and then Scott turns back to Jiang and Tierney. Shrugging, he holds out his arms and says, "Either tell us, or we're turning you over."

The two look at each other for a moment. Then Jiang turns back and says, "Satomi didn't want to fight. We were on the run for two days, but they were everywhere."

As he continues on with the story, Nixie steps back outside with Liam. And as they're story continues, she whispers so only Liam can hear, "They don't know she's still alive. They don't know that any of their pack is still alive." Liam nods, but then blinks and asks, "How do you know Satomi is still alive?"

Nixie gives him a look that implies they'll get to that later. Then they turn back as Jiang and Tierney explain that, after they stopped running, they became the hunters themselves. Scott, growing aggravated now, asks, "Did you see them kill Satomi? Or Brett or Lori? Did you see them kill anyone?!" Tierney glares, "Does it matter?"

Liam jumps in with, "It does matter! You can't kill innocent people!" Standing up, Tierney declares, "They murdered our whole pack. You really think any of them are more innocent than us?"

Nixie thinks the answer is yes. There are some who are only in this out of fear. Out of a need to try and overcome fear, or a desire to eradicate everything that causes fear in this town. The thing from the wild hunt was causing a giant bulk of the problem right now. So that was the thing that needed to be hunted down and killed… not every single hunter that had shown up in the past week or so.

But rather than voice that, she just waits. Jiang then asks, "What are you going to do?" Scott lifts his gaze to both werewolves before him, and then he says angrily, "I don't know."

As they leave the room, locking them in the cell again, Scott turns to Nixie and asks, "What do you think?" She watches him carefully for a moment, knowing how upset this has made him. But then she says honestly, "I think they deserve to be punished. If they'd simply been defending themselves, or even just gone after the specific one that they think killed Satomi and the others, then I could understand that. If anyone ever killed you, I definitely hunt them down and kill them."

Scott nods in understanding, and then sighs when Nixie says, "But I would not go after just anyone that happens to know how to use a crossbow. That's not justice. It's not even vengeance or revenge. It's just…" She ponders for a moment, and then says, "It's hate. And we can't act and live that way. We're on the verge of a war right now, and hate will only ensure that it actually takes place."

Running his hands through his hair, Scott says, "I don't know what to do." Nixie nods, and then suggests, "Talk to Noah, for a start. Tell him what they told you. See what he thinks." "You don't already know what he thinks." "I obviously do, but you will believe it more and hear it better if it comes straight from him. So go."

As he leaves, Liam asks, "What does Noah think?" Nixie sighs, "Noah was in the army. So was Jordan. They've seen battle and war. And they know that, when you're on the battlefield, fighting for what you and your people think is right… you can't fit everyone into being either innocent or guilty." Turning to Liam, she adds, "There's just your side, and their side. And you have to hope your side is the right one."

Back in the main office, while they're waiting for Scott and Noah to come back, Nixie glances over as the officer that had seen her scales earlier starts moving in her direction. Timidly… but not mischievously. This wasn't the officer that was working with Monroe. Nixie didn't sense any mal-intent from this woman. Just… fascination? Yeah, maybe that was it.

Nixie then hears the whistling sound of an arrow slicing through the air. It was a sound all too familiar to her. In the past, she would've been happy to hear it. Alison's arrows had always made that sound, and Nixie had always used her ability to hear it as a way to pinpoint exactly where she was standing. But now…

She's just glad that it was a sound she already knew, and therefore she knew what was coming. If she hadn't known it. If she'd had to take a moment to guess, then the arrow would've already broken the glass before she realized what it was. It would've sailed across the room before she could turn her head to see it.

And it would've lodged itself into the young officer's skull, before Nixie could've tried to reach out and grab it. But because she already knew…

When Noah and Scott burst from the office, they join everyone else in staring in disbelief. Officer Blakely, one of the youngest new hires on the force, is standing still as a statue. Her gasps for breath are short and quick… but she is still breathing.

Because Nixie's hand was wrapped around the arrow, stopping it in mid-air, about an inch or so from Blakely's face. Her scales were back out too. Nixie honestly hadn't been sure of the timing with this arrow. The glass of the window had obviously slowed it slightly. So if she'd been too fast to stop it in her hand, Nixie had intended to simply let it hit her, and let it fall to the floor.

Obviously, letting it hit the young officer at all had never come to mind. Nixie might not always be fast enough to stop every single bullet they ever encountered. But she knew she was fast enough for this shit.

Seeing the bit of green material stuck on the arrow, Nixie swipes it off and tucks it up her sleeve to hide it. Then she glances up, finding everyone's eyes on her. Including Officer Vargas.

The older deputy hadn't been within Nixie's line of sight much today. In fact, Nixie feels like an idiot for not seeing it sooner. Because Vargas was the one officer that Nixie hadn't seen, at all, today. Which, on any normal day, wouldn't have been that strange. But they had been here for hours now, and this was the first time she was seeing the woman.

Gerard still wasn't entirely sure what Nixie was, so he couldn't possibly know what all her powers were. That being said, Nixie's sixth sense had never been a secret. Even before she'd been considered supernatural, Scott and Stiles had known, at least for the most part, that when Nixie decided not to trust someone, there was usually a damn good reason.

And Nixie can feel it, like she can feel her scales slipping away so her normal skin comes back. Vargas was the officer in here that couldn't be trusted. Even as the woman meets her gaze, and immediately moves to leave the room. It was too late. Nixie already knows.

But for now, she turns back to Blakely. Putting a hand on the young officer's shoulder, Nixie says, "Breathe." Blakely takes in a deep breath, and then Nixie nods, "Good. Now, go and sit for a minute. Get your bearings back."

She glances at Noah briefly, and when he nods immediately, Blakely hurries to her desk to have a seat, where another officer put an arm around her shoulders to comfort her. Nixie then moves to join her pack near Noah's office. Glancing at the sheriff, she says, "If you think it'll help any, you might want to just stick your head out there and inform Monroe that she very nearly shot and killed one of your deputies. A very human deputy."

Noah nods, and as Nixie then ushers everyone else into Noah's office, she turns to Liam. Glancing at Noah, she says, "Follow him. Watch him like a hawk. If he takes more than one step out of this building, follow him. If anyone so much as looks at him funny, tear them apart." Liam places a kiss to her forehead, and then promises, "They won't get through me." "I know."

In the office, Nixie waits for Liam to be focused on the door. Then she pulls out the green cloth, unfolding it to reveal a cut out section of Brett's old lacrosse jersey. Malia's eyes widen before she says, "I thought they were safe! How did they…" But Nixie cuts her off, "They are safe. All of them."

All eyes turn to her, but she's currently not paying attention. Counting in her head, listing off the names that Brett had given her since the last time she'd been to the shack, Nixie edits, "At least… all the ones that I could find are safe."

Lifting her head again, she blinks when she finds everyone staring at her. "What?" Scott just turns to Jordan first and asks, "Do you know what she's talking about?" Jordan shakes his head, though he adds, "But she has been heading out more often than usual lately. Not to see you guys either. She always tells me when she's going to see one of you. I assumed it was simply to check on the shack."

When all eyes turn back to her again, Nixie huffs before saying, "I have been checking on the shack." Then, she adds in, "And I've… also been finding other people and bringing them to the shack." Scott's eyes widen, "Who? How?"

Nixie takes a moment to explain that Brett had told her how to find Satomi, and the few that had remained with her. Then Satomi would hear about others in need, and she would call Nixie, and then Nixie would go after them and bring them back to the shack.

Shrugging, Nixie says, "I think there's a total of thirty people there now." Lydia shouts, "Thirty!" Nixie gestures wildly for a moment, and then implores, "Keep your voice down! We don't want anyone else to know about that!" Then she turns to Malia and says, "Anyways, bottom line, we know that Brett is fine."

Scott nods, but then asks, "So… wait, then how'd they get his jersey?" Nixie raises an eyebrow, "Because when you lie, you do it convincingly. Are any of you listening when I say that?" Lydia crosses her arms, "And how did you lie about that convincingly?" Nixie turns to Scott at that, who slaps a hand to his forehead, "Mom. Of course. She found you two bodies in the morgue?" Nixie nods, "One girl and one boy. John and Jane Does who hadn't been claimed for months. We dressed them in Brett and Lori's outfits from that night."

Tossing the cloth to Scott, Nixie then says, "So we don't need to freak out about this. But that's what it's clearly for." Lydia nods, "They're trying to rattle us."

Theo then glances out to where Noah and Liam are coming back inside. Nodding towards them, he asks, "Why say all this when Liam's not here to listen?" Nixie turns to give him a glaring look. Not really because he'd done anything wrong yet… but that was just the look she was going to continue to give him for quite some time. In all likelihood, It was probably going to take him years to make up for what he'd done to them last year. At least, as far as he could tell, that's what everyone else seemed to think.

But then, because she can feel the others curiosity in the room, Nixie explains, "Because Liam is still sore when it comes to Lori and Brett. He considers what happened to both of them to have been on his watch. Something he should've prevented. And I don't want it shoved back in his face, when there's nothing to worry about anymore concerning them."

Pointing a stern finger at Theo, she adds, "And we're going to keep it that way." He holds up his hands in a surrendering gesture, and then they all look up when Noah and Liam open the door to join them. But Noah had only taken one step inside, when they all heard the blood-curdling scream from a room in the back. Everyone makes a move to follow, but Noah holds out his hand and says, "Stay. All of you. Jordan, come with me."

He throws his wife an apologetic look, but then hurries after Noah to see what the hell is going on. Sighing, Nixie then turns back to Lydia when she says, "Something's… wrong." Frowning, Nixie asks, "What do you mean?" Everyone looks at their banshee, waiting for her to explain. But Lydia simply glances around her, as though in search of something. Something she was convinced should be there, but she couldn't find. Then she asks desperately, "Don't you feel it?"

As she begins backing away, breaths coming in gasps now, she only stops panicking when Nixie grips her arm and says, "Hey!" Jerking her eyes to meet Nixie's, Lydia takes in a deep breath as she feels a bit of peace surround her. Then Nixie asks gently, "Feel what?"

But before Lydia can answer, they all jump as they hear a gunshot go off in the backroom. The room where Jordan and Noah had just gone to.

No one attempts to stand in her way when Nixie throws the door open again and sprints to the back to see what happened. And heaven help any poor bastard that had tried to shoot her husband.

* * *

As Liam takes Nolan to a cell in the back, Lydia comes in to look at the two dead bodies. Scott was looking down at them too, Noah holding a hand over his mouth, shaking his head continuously in complete disbelief.

Jordan was standing in the doorway, one arm wrapped around Nixie. Her arms were wrapped around his waist, locked tight, and refusing to let go at the moment.

Pregnancy-hormones again. Given that she'd been terrified for a moment that he'd been shot in the head, like the other hellhound, Jordan thinks she's doing pretty well to only be demanding that she gets to hold him right now. Aside from that, this just helped him to balance out the chill she was sending out, before anyone else felt it first.

Lydia glances between the two bodies, "This wasn't just panic." And as she feels a moment of dread crawl down her spine, Lydia looks up again and says, "It's in here with us."

Nixie blinks at that, finally loosening her grip on Jordan a little bit. He rubs his hand up and down her back soothingly, and then places a hand on his own pistol when Noah reaches down for his as well. Noah then asks, "What do you mean?" Lydia glances to her right while explaining, "Whatever's causing the fear. The same thing that drove the wolves to kill each other."

Turning back to look at all of them, she whispers, "It's here with us."

Nixie frowns deeply at that, but before she can ask about it, Scott says, "Guys… it's almost midnight. We're out of time." Noah sighs, "I've already got two bodies. I'm not giving Monroe two more." Nixie nods in agreement with that, and then looks to Scott when he turns his attention back to the two dead bodies on the floor.

A look of dawning comes over Scott's face, but before he can speak, Nixie points and says, "Oh! I know that look! That's the, 'I've finally got a plan' look. Very distinctive. Good job, Scott." Raising an eyebrow, he asks, "You don't have a plan of your own already?" "Yeah, but mine's less complex, and wouldn't exactly please you." "Why?" "Because my plan is to simply let Jiang and Tierney run out the back door and hope they make it."

When Scott gives her a look, Nixie simply says, "I told you. They lied to us. They killed innocent people. They don't even really feel sorry about it. Let them take their chances." Then she shrugs, "But if you have a better idea now, I'm all ears." Scott nods, "Yeah, I do. All Monroe needs, is two bodies."

Looking back at the two dead ones on the ground already, Scott adds, "So… let's give her two bodies."

* * *

As Scott and Theo sit near the two bodies in the bags outside, Malia asks, "Does anyone think this is gonna work?" She turns back to them, but when everyone gives her either an annoyed or worried look, she goes back to watching out the window, "I'll stop asking."

Nixie closes her eyes and focuses on hearing what's going on out there. And when Monroe asks to see their faces, she worries, but feels that there's still hope.

But then she asks to see the tattoos that Jiang and Tierney are supposed to have. Apparently, the symbol of their pack.

Nixie makes a note to ask Brett and Lori later on if either of them has the same tattoos. Because she's seen Brett without a shirt, and she's pretty sure there's no ink on his skin. But in the meantime.

Malia glances over when she hears the growl that Nixie lets rumble in the back of her throat. Beginning to unbutton her shirt, Nixie says, "Malia, as soon as I have Scott covered, grab Noah and drag his ass back in here." She nods, but then they both pause when Liam asks, "What about Theo?"

Seeing the incredulous look on both their faces, Liam emphasizes, "He's still my responsibility." Nixie rolls her eyes, but then says, "Fine. Malia grabs Noah. You grab Theo. Drag them both in here while I cover Scott."

But before they so much as open the door, Rafe McCall appears on the scene. And Nixie can't help but feel a certain sense of awe towards the man. He just walks past the mob of gunmen as though he owns the ground they stand on. On his orders, Scott and Theo drag the body bags back inside, and then everyone goes back in. The midnight deadline was obviously on hold for now.

As soon as Rafe is inside and the door is shut behind him, he grunts as Nixie slams into him. Squeezing him tight, she says, "I'm so incredibly happy to see you. You have no idea." Patting her head gently, he smiles down at her for a moment. It had been too long since he'd seen any of them.

But as Nixie finally leans back, she slumps a bit when Rafe sighs, "You may not be once we've talked. I think I may be able to work something out. But you're not going to like it." Nixie and Scott look at each other, and then Scott says, "I think that's pretty much a given at this point anyway. What's the idea?"

And when Rafe tells them that his deal will have to be that they all leave Beacon Hills… well, yeah. Nixie's not going to lie. That plan sucks.

* * *

Jordan honestly hadn't thought she'd actually leave. And no, she hadn't come home to his house to pack a bag. Which he'd taken as a good sign.

But then Noah called to tell him to come over. And now, here he was, watching as his wife packed a bag from the room that had been hers in this house for so long.

Nixie's explanation, which she'd been stating as she moved around the room, was simply that she'd been meaning to clean out her things at some point anyway, to make room for her mother's stuff. When she finally has it all in a bag, she turns to find Jordan just standing there in the doorway.

The temperature of the house was far warmer than the weather outside called for. The bill for the AC was going to spike, based on this night alone. Walking up to her husband, Nixie asks gently, "You okay?"

He gives her a look, which clearly said that he was the furthest thing from 'okay' that a man could be. Tears were in his eyes, which he was clearly trying to hold back. But the vein in the side of his neck was protruding slightly from the strain. Plus… Nixie knew him too well for that.

He thought he'd known her better too… but apparently not if she was actually leaving.

And he knows she won't let him, but he asks again anyway, "Please let me come with you."

In any other circumstance, Nixie would've caved. But in this case, she shakes her head. Glancing towards the stairs, she says, "They didn't ask for you to leave. We can't take any more of us from Beacon Hills than we have to right now." Nodding towards the downstairs, she adds, "Someone needs to watch over them. Noah, and my mom. Will you do that for me?"

Jordan scoffs, but more at the idea of her asking than the idea of doing it. Back to her, he says, "You know I will." Nixie smiles a bit, and then sighs before moving into him. Resting her head on his chest, she says, "I need you to trust me on this. Just for a little while, okay? We know what we're doing."

His arms wrap around her, his heat blanketing her while he also soaks in the cool that's pouring out of her. Kissing the top of her head, he says, "I trust you. Always." "And I love you. Always."

Leaning back to look up at him, she rises up on her toes to kiss him gently. He kisses her back in kind… but neither of them go in for more right now. They wouldn't be able to handle it.

Downstairs, Naomi looks up from the kitchen table as Jordan and Nixie come down. Noah is standing behind her, hands on her shoulders to try and soothe her. Naomi reaches up to hold one of his hands in her own, squeezing tightly for a moment. Then she rises from her chair.

Jordan heads out to secure Nixie's bag to the back of her bike. As Nixie moves to stand before her mother, she says, "Everything's going to be okay." Naomi cups her daughter's face in her hands, looking at her tenderly. But she shakes her head, "None of this is okay. After all I've heard… after everything you and Noah and everyone has told me… about all the things you've done… none of this is okay."

Nixie doesn't deny that. Reaching up to cup her mother's cheek in one hand, she says, "We'll figure it out. Okay?" Glancing at Noah, Nixie adds, "He'll take care of you." "Sweetheart… who's going to take care of you?"

Nixie can't help smiling a bit at that. Moving in to hug her mom tight, Nixie says, "Scott and the others, for now. And I'll take care of them. Believe me, mom. For right now, this is for the best. Trust me, please."

Naomi squeezes her daughter tight, and then sighs and says, "I believe in you, Nixie Parrish. Don't you ever forget that." "I won't."

Then, as Naomi steps back, tears streaming down her face, Noah steps up. Nixie glances at her mom, and then asks softly, "Keep her safe?" "No one will ever touch her. You have my word." Nodding, Nixie looks to him, "Be safe. Stay alive. Don't you dare fucking die on me."

Noah draws her in close, kissing her forehead before letting her rest her head on his chest. Smoothing down her hair, he says, "I would never disappoint you that way." "Good."

She leaves them at that, meeting Jordan at her bike. Handing her the helmet, Jordan says, "Can I ask that you not speed on your way out of here?" Nixie smiles gently up at him, "I'm meeting up with Scott and the others, and we're leaving together. I won't be speeding."

Her lack of a witty comment nearly causes Jordan to start crying, but he continues to hold it off for now. Tracing her face with his fingers, he begs one last time, "Please… don't leave." Nixie has tears of her own building in her eyes, and Jordan knows it's not fair of him to ask. But he doesn't take back his request.

Nixie doesn't respond with an actual answer yet. Instead to takes his hand in both of hers. Lifting his ring finger to her lips, she kisses him there softly. Then she looks up at him and says, "Everything I do, and have ever done, is to protect the people I love. That has never changed, and it never will."

And now she begs, "Please understand that this is why I'm doing this right now. Please."

Jordan finally nods, though it is a bit shaky. Then he kisses her one last time, before taking a step back.

Nixie was the blue dragon. She was the one who had the weakness of being left alone. And yet, as she drove away from him, Jordan is the one who felt as though his spirit was crumbling.

* * *

And here's Chapter 5. Sorry to have ended it on such a bittersweet note. I'll work to have the intermission posted as soon as possible.


	6. Intermission

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I maker her do or say."

* * *

Intermission

"What did you think we were going to do, Mason? Run?"

Scott smirks as he asks the question to the shocked boy Corey had brought into the clinic, but regrets it immediately when Nixie's hand slaps him upside the head.

Moving to Mason, Nixie wraps him in a tight hug. Then she holds him at arm's length as she says, "For the record, I was never, at any point, on board with keeping any of you in the dark. Neither was Corey. In my opinion, you're all wonderful actors, and I thought you could pull it off. But Scott's the alpha, and he ordered it. Consequently, I also informed him that I would be smacking him in the head, repeatedly, for a while, since he is the one who so insisted on this part of the plan."

Trying to gauge Mason's reaction, she then asks, "Does that make it any better?" Mason just launches back into her arms, holding her tight and sighing in relief.

Nixie runs a hand up and down his back for a moment, and then she releases him so he can hug Corey. Turning back to Scott, Nixie then asks, "Please tell me I can go see Jordan now?" Scott nods, but then adds, "But remember. You can't be seen. By anyone. Except for him." "I heard you the first fifty times you said it, Scott. Do not make me hit you again right now."

* * *

Jordan didn't understand how everyone was able to go about their day as though nothing had changed. Even with multiple calls coming into the station, someone should've made a comment about who was so clearly missing from their midst.

Sure, if Nixie had actually gone to college, then she wouldn't be here now anyway. But she hadn't gone away to college. She'd been forced out of Beacon Hills, along with the rest of her pack. And he had been left behind.

Noah seemed able to function, though he would occasionally glance at Jordan's desk and give him a knowing look of concern. And Jordan supposes that the man is able to behave normally, because in his mind, maybe Nixie leaving would mean she'd be safe and left alone.

Jordan doesn't agree with that assessment. And a much more primal part of him, a part he hadn't felt rear its head in quite some time, felt rather sure that Nixie was never going to be safer in any place other than in his arms. That would, in his opinion, forever remain the safest place for her to be. And now she wasn't within his reach. He didn't even know where to go if he wanted to go and find her. She was just gone.

He'd thought the first night would be the hardest. People always said things like that, right? But that was not the case. The first night was agony. He'd only slept for maybe three hours, and that had been fitful at best. He couldn't stop thinking about where she might be, or what she might be doing. Whether or not she was in danger again. And the baby… he wanted to be with her and the baby. Where was she going to go so she could continue keeping tabs on their kid? It wasn't like she could go to just any ordinary hospital.

And the nights after that only got worse. It had now been five days total, and when he would look in the mirror in the morning, he can't help remembering how Nixie used to look. When she would start running on too little sleep, circles formed under her eyes, and occasionally a red tint could be seen rimming them if she was tired enough. And now, he looked the same.

And the rest of the world was just moving along, as though everything was completely fine and dandy. Well, it wasn't. It was the furthest thing from fine that anything had ever been or ever would be again.

Officer Blakely, at least, seemed to share in some of his sorrow. She obviously wasn't as connected to the group as everyone else… but Nixie had saved her life. Blakely would likely never forget that. And the past two mornings, she'd gone and filled up a mug with black coffee for him, hoping to help him stay awake.

Somehow though, even black coffee didn't taste as good when Nixie wasn't the one bringing it to him.

On top of all of this, his family was still trying to bug the hell out of him. Jordan had informed Marcus that he and Nixie would make plans to have lunch or coffee with them at some point in the future. That had satisfied them for about a day. But now they wanted finalizations, and a definite time that they could all meet. And Jordan, certainly at this point, was in no position to try and do that anymore. He wasn't about to meet them without Nixie. He could hold his own, for sure. Nixie had already set the groundwork in place for any future conversations they might have. But… he wanted her there with him. They were husband and wife. She should be with him.

This is day six, and Jordan has never been more relieved, and yet also miserable about having a day off. Noah had ordered him to take it, and to get some sleep 'for the love of God'. But Jordan was up anyway, trying to make breakfast. Nixie would scold him if she found out he didn't eat any breakfast.

It occurs to him that, though Nixie was the dragon with a weakness for being left alone, he was the one who was spiraling towards an emotional breakdown. But it wasn't because he was alone. He knew that wasn't accurate. Nixie was gone, as was most of the pack. But Chris, Melissa, Noah, and even Naomi were all still here. Deaton, Liv, and Grams too, for that matter. So being alone wasn't his problem.

A thought appears in his head, as though forced there by the supernatural half of his being. 'Protection'. After all, that was the whole purpose of him becoming a hellhound in the first place, right? He was a protector of Beacon Hills. But more than that, he was a protector of Scott's pack… the pack of a true alpha. And he was a protector of Nixie, though she was certainly more than capable of holding her own in a fight.

But… as he lets that thought stir around in his head, he realizes that he's also a protector of their baby. Jordan was protective of Nixie on a good day. Yes, he let her hold her own, and he didn't stop her from fighting and protecting her friends. But that didn't mean he didn't always worry, and strive to do all he could to protect her from harm. And now that she was pregnant…

Jordan hadn't really noticed how much more protective he felt towards her, until this moment. Nixie was an overprotective dragon, and that would always be true. But where Nixie was concerned, Jordan was an overprotective hellhound. His version of protection wasn't as blunt or overbearing as Nixie's sometimes was… but he was overprotective nonetheless. And with her being pregnant, that protectiveness was multiplied by infinity.

No wonder he felt like he was losing it. He needed to call her and tell her that he couldn't handle staying here without her. He had to be with her, to help her and the pack. To help the baby.

He was close to burning the bacon in his pan, when the front door received a heavy knock. Jordan frowns, but as he steps into the hall, he sighs when he hears his sister yelling, "Just leave him alone! He's had a hard week! Back off!"

Why couldn't they just let him be for now? Honestly, he has no idea where the patience Nixie has always praised him for came from. The rest of his immediate family, aside from his sister, certainly didn't have it.

He moves back to the stove, even as the door is opened and he hears people walking into his house. They'd see, soon enough, that he wasn't in the mood to deal with them. And with Liv there to yell at them, hopefully they'd just leave quickly.

Entering the room, Marcus glances around, not quite understanding what he was seeing. Jordan, even as a younger kid, had been a neat person. A few items out of place was fine, but for the most part, he liked the keep things in their place, or at least in their general place. But right now…

Liv is looking around worriedly too, because the house is a bit of a mess. Clothes are left in the living room floor, it didn't look like the laundry had been done recently. The floors were clearly in need of a good sweeping. But, and this was probably the most shocking one… the sink was full of dirty dishes.

Bianca and Carson, though concerned as well, still don't know their youngest son well enough to understand what his siblings are seeing. Not to mention, their tact about things has been slipping the past couple of years, as Marcus would attest to. So, when they realize that neither Marcus nor Liv is saying anything yet, Bianca decides that the first question to ask is obviously, "Well, where's Nixie?"

The heat in the entire house spikes. Marcus winces at it, not understanding how it was even happening. Sliding off his suit jacket, he steps a little closer to Jordan. "Jo… what's wrong with you, man? I've been calling all morning."

Jordan pinches the bridge of his nose, "And all yesterday, and probably all the day before that too. I am not in the mood right now, Marc." Frowning, Marcus says, "Jordan, that's not fair. I know she called us selfish before, and I admit she had that right. But you guys can't just expect us to wait here forever, with nothing but a flimsy promise of meeting 'sometime' in the future."

Jordan grits his teeth for a moment, and then turns to look at his brother. And Marcus finds himself leaning back slightly. Jordan's control was slipping with each passing second. He still had it for now, but the orange tint that was rimming his pupils was a sure sign that he was about to lose it. Swallowing thickly, Jordan says, "Allow me to use terms you're sure to understand then. Nixie and I, at the very earliest convenience we can find, will meet with you when there isn't other, much more important shit, to deal with."

The growl was barely contained at the end, and Jordan snapped himself back to focusing on the stove, where the bacon was definitely crispier than normal. Liv jumps at the rumble that sounds in the back of his throat, before he simply cuts off the burner and moves to stand in front of the sink. Hands gripping the edge, he glances over at Liv as he leans heavily against it. Her worried gaze told him that he needed to seriously get it together, and he was trying...

Something told him though, that this conversation was not going to end well for anyone involved, if the rest of his family didn't leave right now.

Liv reads the desperation in his gaze, and nods before turning to try and usher everyone else out of the house. And Marcus, upon seeing the severe trembling in his brother's shoulders, would've honestly allowed himself to be led out. He might not understand what it was, but something was definitely going on with Jordan right now. And while he wanted to help, having them there was not going to do anything except agitate him more.

But again, Bianca and Carson aren't as keen to see these things as their children are. So as Marcus begins turning to leave at Liv's instructions, Bianca bursts out, "No!" Shoving past her children, she stands at Jordan's side and demands, "I know you think we're still selfish. And maybe we came in here that way. And maybe I still really want for us to be a family again, and maybe you don't want anything to do with that. But Jordan, you promised we'd talk. You promised to explain. You have to explain what the hell is so amazing about this town. A town which, quite frankly, looks like it's about to tear itself apart."

If she'd stopped there, Jordan would've still been fine. On the brink? Yes, he would've still remained there. But he would've been fine.

But then his mother demanded, "And where is your wife? Where is Nixie? And what is so special about her, that you would never dream of coming back to Virginia? Who does she think she…"

"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!" Bianca screams as fire takes over Jordan's body, the heat spreading out to fill every inch of the room, and then the entire house. It was turning into the sauna from hell that no one wanted to stay in.

Marcus stares at his brother in shock and disbelief. But then he also has to look at Liv when, rather than screaming in terror like his mother, she says, "Jo, you have to calm down! It's okay! Nixie is fine! She wouldn't care what they think! You know that! Jo, listen to me!" She tries to move closer to him, but the heat is too much.

Jordan's hands are melting the sides of the sink that he has hold of. Even though he was the hellhound, he felt too hot. His chest was tightening. He felt like pretty soon, he wouldn't even be able to breathe.

Liv was two seconds from trying to shove the rest of her family out of the house. The door handle would practically burn her hand off, but they could not stay in here like this. But as she begins trying to crawl in that direction, the door bursts open violently.

The rush of cold that forces its way into the house didn't make any sense. This is southern California. It's hot, even in the winter time. And yet the air that was forcing its way in made it seem as though it was negative degrees Celsius, and snowing.

Marcus glances at Liv, who sighs in both relief and surprise. And then his eyes widen when they see Nixie, in nothing but her leather top and jeans, sprinting into the house. With them all crouched on the floor, she leaps over their heads smoothly, and then launches herself at Jordan's engulfed body.

Jordan didn't understand it at first. The flames around him simply died down, and a cold force was blanketing him. But not like normal. Not yet, at least. For a moment, it was more like the cold was smothering all of his heat, even struggling a bit to put out his flames. But they did vanish wherever he was being touched, and in place of those flames, ice and frost began coating his skin.

It took him another second to remember that there was only one force in the entire world powerful enough to counteract and balance out his heat.

Nixie.

When he tries to turn around, Nixie grips him tighter so she remains at his back. Trembling a little herself, terrified of the look that might be on his face, she says softly, "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, Jordan. Please… please don't be…" "Nixie, let me turn around. Now."

There was still a bit of growl in his voice, but Nixie loosened her grip on him anyway. He span around faster than she could actually drop her arms, his orange eyes meeting her silver ones.

She tries to take a step back, because they really needed to talk about why she'd had to lie to him. Because if she'd known this would happen, she never would've agreed.

But before her arms have dropped even an inch, Jordan cups her face in his hands. Drawing her in, he presses her head against his chest, and then locks his arms against her back. Hands braced against her skin, fingers digging in with what he's always known to be the perfect amount of pressure, he holds her tightly against him.

Nixie feels his lips land in her hair, not really in a kiss, but just pressed there, his breaths washing over her and down her entire body as they wait for them to even out again. And every breath he takes back in, helps a little bit more than the last.

Finally, he asks in his normal voice, "Why?" Nixie squeezes him tighter, and then takes a breath herself before answering, "Scott said no one could know. At least, not right away. Everyone had to think we were gone. Everyone. It had to be convincing. And he believed the best way to make that happen, was to not tell anyone that we weren't actually leaving."

Jordan does kiss the top of her head now, and then says, "Please tell me you've already hit him in the back of the head for having that ridiculous idea?" "Repeatedly. And I'm going to smack him again after this. Much harder than I'd been planning to. I wouldn't… I would not have agreed if I'd known this would happen to you."

Nodding, Jordan sighs, "Yeah. I… haven't been coping very well. I think that's more the hellhound part of me than anything else. I'm here to protect Beacon Hills, and Scott's pack. But more than anything, I'm here to protect you."

He gently brushes a hand against her stomach, and then says, "And I think 'that' particular new aspect of everything… just pushed me over the edge." Nixie nods, and then can't help laughing when Jordan adds, "I was expecting a sarcastic comment already at this point." "Sorry. I'm still too worried to come up with effective sarcastic comments. Give me an hour. I'll be back in the game then."

Grinning, Jordan kisses the top of her head again, and then cups the back of her neck in one hand. Tilting her back, he leans down to fuse his lips to hers, relishing her moan and her hands sliding up his chest before landing in his hair and holding tight.

They would've stayed like that for a while, he knows. They probably would've moved to the bedroom after that. But, before they can get too out of hand, Jordan hears his brother clear his throat on the other side of the room.

Right. Because the rest of his family was here, aside from Grams. And Nixie was only in her leather top, so they'd seen her scars.

Scoffing at himself, he can't help but feel ridiculous at thinking that thought. He'd just caught himself on fire, and melted the sides of the sink with his bare hands. And Nixie had coated the entire house in frost and ice for the moment. But he was concerned with the fact that they had most definitely seen her scars now.

Nixie whines softly when he pulls back, and Jordan grins down at her before promising, "Later. I promise. Because we have a lot of making up to do, and so much more." Her answering smile was beautiful, and Jordan kisses her quickly one last time, before loosening his grip. He still keeps an arm around her, keeping her pulled in tight to his body. But he turns to everyone else, braced for whatever they might have to say about what just happened.

But, though Marcus looks like he might be surprised and shocked by everything, Jordan's eyes widen when Bianca covers her mouth with one hand and says, "Oh my God. Everything she said… it's all true."

Before he can ask though, Liv turns to her and asks, "What? Who? Who said…" Bianca answers, "You're grandmother, of course. She told me about… about all of this. A long, long time ago. I didn't believe a word of it, obvi…" She doesn't finish saying 'obviously'. Because 'obviously'… everything Grams had said… it was all true. All very true.

Marcus, for a moment, just stares at his brother, whose sweatpants are only barely still clinging to his skin, turned to rags and ash by the flames. And then he stares at Jordan's wife, whose presence had somehow turned the entire house into what felt like a Christmas Wonderland. Then he simply shakes his head while saying, "Holy shit."

And Jordan can't help chuckling loudly when Nixie points and says, "Exactly. I like him. He took the words right out of my mouth."

* * *

Kevin, the owner of the restaurant that Nixie had worked at for so long, did more than just allow Nixie to eat and drink in his building. When she called to ask if there was any way she and her family could have a private table somewhere, he closed up the restaurant early for the day. Everyone was cleared out by three in the afternoon. Nixie and her pack arrived at four.

Marcus was sitting across the table from his brother, his mom and dad on either side of him. He honestly couldn't stop staring at his brother and Nixie. And not just because they were… well, supernatural. There was no other word for it, but that's not the only reason he couldn't stop watching the two of them right now.

Jordan still wouldn't let Nixie go. Not yet anyway. Their chairs were pushed directly next to each other, and his arm was around her waist.

It had only been a total of five days. But Jordan thinks he might understand, in part, some of how Nixie feels when she ends up separated from all of her people… from him. And in that respect, he's honestly not sure how she manages it.

Liv was on Jordan's right side, alternating between looking at Grams and her mother. It had never occurred to her that she hadn't been the first person Grams had tried to train to take her place. But… well, it made sense. Grams said the task of druid, at least in their family, was passed down generation to generation. Bianca was the first woman in years to flat-out turn down the position, refusing to believe that there was more out there than what was commonly seen with the human eye.

To say this day had been a wakeup call would be an understatement.

Apart from them, Lydia, Malia, Scott, Liam, and Chris were all present. Noah was coming later, with Naomi. Melissa, unfortunately, had a double shift to work at the hospital, and was unable to get off. Deaton was coming though, promising that he was also discreetly bringing with him enough equipment to look in on the baby again.

Scott wasn't exactly pleased to hear that Nixie had revealed herself to three more people than she was supposed to. Three people who hadn't even been aware of the supernatural up until this point. But he wasn't mad. It wasn't like he could blame her. And he had already been smacked upside the head, twice, for making her lie to Jordan in the first place.

Jordan apologized for it after that, seeing Nixie's added aggression as his own fault. Which earned him a soft pat on the back of his own head. And after Nixie had explained everything to Scott, he'd agreed to have everyone that could make it, meet at Kevin's so they could explain some things to Jordan's family.

Grams was honestly taking the helm on that end. Sitting next to her son, Carson, she started with the basics of what she knew was out there. Then she handed the reins over to Scott and Nixie, who explained how it had started for them, and everything that had happened since Scott had first been bitten by Peter.

Nixie honestly thought they were done with their explanations, until Marcus pointed at her and asks, "Okay, but what the hell happened to you?" Nixie blinks, "What do you mean?" "I mean you look like you were prisoner of war for years, tortured for information that you never gave up. You're the only one with scars that I can see. So what the hell happened?"

Honestly, she's just happy she didn't have to stand up and point every single wound out to him. Lydia and Scott took over at that. Knowing all of her scars in detail now, they were able to list each one and explain what happened without asking her to stand and show them off again. Which was good, because Nixie wasn't about to take off Jordan's shirt to do that anyway.

Plus, Jordan didn't seem inclined to let her go, even if she'd tried to stand up anyway. So there was that to consider as well.

It was six before the conversations specifically about the supernatural closed. At which point Kevin, who had been waiting for a break in the talking, came out with a smorgasbord of food for them to eat. He claimed it wasn't much, just a hell of a lot of spaghetti.

Everyone just grins when Nixie declares him to be her favorite person for the day, to which he simply kisses the top of her head and returns to his kitchen.

Bianca is honestly still at a loss for words, but can't help smiling when Nixie curls further into Jordan's embrace. She simply looked so content, and Jordan had the same look on his face, now that he had her. They were…

"Adorable." Bianca looks over at Lydia, who shrugs and says, "I called it from day one. Those two are freaking adorable." Nixie lifts her head, "I'll have you know, I resent that remark. How could you possibly call me adorable? All these scars, and my blue eyes of death. How on earth does that work?" Lydia shrugs, and then grins when Jordan says in Nixie's ear, "I think it works beautifully."

Nixie rolls her eyes, "Babe, you're not helping." He just chuckles and kisses her temple. Then they look to Liam when he says, "I don't understand why Jordan lost it though. I mean, I thought Nixie was the one who had an issue with being left alone. If this is going to be Jordan's reaction whenever she has to leave, how is she going to attend college?"

Shrugging, Nixie says, "Very carefully. That's what I figured." They all chuckle for a moment, though Nixie and Jordan look at each other knowingly. It was the pregnancy that was causing him to overreact this way. But how to explain that to…

Nixie's eyes then burst wide when Scott says, in a completely normal tone, "It's because Nixie's pregnant." Even Lydia turns to look at him in surprise. And upon realizing that Lydia had already known, Scott raises an eyebrow, "Really? You told her, but you didn't tell me?" "I didn't want you babying me!"

Rolling his eyes, Scott says, "I know you well enough to know that wouldn't work well. For anyone involved. If anything, babying you would only make you act like a more reckless protective dragon." Nixie frowns, "Protecting you guys isn't reckless."

Scott just grins at her, and then says, "Yes, I know. But babying you, tends to make you stretch the limits of what you can stand more than normal. Like you're trying to prove that you don't need the babying." Lifting a finger as he swallows a bite of food, he adds, "Stiles and I have learned our lesson. We save the coddling for when you're already in physical pain. Not prior."

Nixie just stares at him for a moment. Then she finally laughs lightly before asking, "How did you even find out?" Scott glances down at her stomach, and then says, "Your body has two heartbeats now." Glancing down at her own stomach, tuning her ears to listen to what she hadn't tried to hear before… Nixie almost starts crying as she hears the tiny little heartbeat inside of her.

Up to Jordan, Nixie says, "She's going to be beautiful." Kissing her forehead, Jordan says, "I feel the need to say, yet again, we're not positive it's a girl yet." "It's a girl. A beautiful girl. And she's going to call mom, Grams." Looking across the table at Veronica, Nixie adds, "You're going to have to share your title." To which Grams simply smiles and says, "With Naomi? I'm honored."

Speak of the devil, Naomi and Noah arrived with Deaton right behind them at that moment. Hurrying to the table, Naomi wraps her arms around Nixie from behind. As tears land on Nixie's neck, she reaches up for her mom and says, "I'm sorry." Naomi just shakes her head and sighs before saying, "I understand. I really do. But I'm still not happy about it." "I know. Sorry."

Lydia scoots over from being next to Nixie, allowing Naomi to fill in that space. And when the others who have just arrived are also informed of the baby, Naomi gasps while Noah runs a hand through his hair worriedly. Shaking his head, he says, "I never would've had you walk out with me if I'd known."

Nixie nods to that, looking up at Jordan, "Yeah. We already had a discussion about that." Noah nods, "Good. And how is the little guy? Or girl? Do you know yet?" Nixie shakes her head, and then smiles when Jordan says, "We're convinced it's a girl, until Deaton says otherwise."

Leaning back to look up at him, she asks, "We?" He simply kisses the end of her nose, "Your confidence is infectious. What can I say?"

Deaton explains about the baby's accelerated growth rate, and with Grams help they pull in the equipment so they can have a look. And yes, in the week that has passed, the baby does now look to be about twelve weeks old, rather than just six.

Nixie hadn't really noticed that her stomach had gotten a tiny bit bigger since last time. It was a small bump, and still barely noticeable. But it was there. Soon as she was cleaned up, she settled her hands there and rubbed soothingly, as though she could actually already feel the baby there.

Jordan's action of kissing her stomach made her laugh, and as he helped her up and back to the table, Scott called another pack meeting to order. Deaton, after explaining what a huge help Corey had been, informs everyone that the creature they're dealing with that's causing the fear, is called an Anuk-Ite. A creature of disharmony and chaos. It enhanced, created, and then fed off of the fear of the people around it.

Nixie sighs, "So… on top of the fact that Monroe probably would've tried to start hunting us anyway, this thing escaped the hunt and is creating fear in this town that is helping Monroe to build herself an army against us. That's great. Just freaking peachy."

Jordan runs a hand up and down her back, and then asks, "So… what's the plan for now?" Deaton shrugs, "I'll have to do more reading. But of one thing, I'm almost certain. This creature is made up of two halves. And we need to try and find them before they can come together. Because once they do… well, it may be unstoppable."

And in spite of that rather grim detail, everyone in the pack grins or chuckles when Nixie says, "You say that a lot, Doc. Like, you keep saying things are impossible, or too hard to fix after a certain point. And yet, here we stand. Alive and well. Ready to kick some serious Anuk ass."

Scott gives her a look, though his grin takes all the heat out of it. Nixie shrugs, "What? I'm just saying. The man needs to take a minute and rethink what his definition of an unstoppable force is." And then Nixie blushes when Deaton says, "You're right, of course. I do believe you would be the prime example of an unstoppable being. From now on, that will be my comparison." Then Nixie just grins, "Happy to help, Doc."

After a brief lull in the conversation on that point, Scott decides to bring up the final issue he can think of for right now. Looking to Nixie, he asks, "Tierney and Jiang?" Lydia's eyes widen, "You made her go after them!" Nixie gives Lydia a look, clearly implying that she didn't like Lydia's exclamation of disbelief. Nixie was the flier, of course Scott had sent her.

Back to Scott, she nods, "I got them. You were right. It wasn't an FBI guy driving the vehicle. Rafe probably found his own guy knocked out somewhere else after the fact. But as far as Monroe's people, there was only one guy with a shotgun to take out after he finally stopped the van." "And what happened to him?" "I dropped him off in Canada." When everyone looks at her with wide eyes, she asks, "What?! I couldn't exactly let him go running back to Monroe! And I didn't kill him! Everyone take a freaking chill pill. Geez."

Everyone chuckles, though Jordan notes that his parents' eyes widen when Nixie claims to not have killed anyone yet. As in, it was still very possible Nixie would kill someone in the future.

Marcus, on the other hand, was looking at her with a mixture of amusement and… well, awe.

Jordan understood that. He was married to her, and he still found himself staring at her that way more often than not.

Scott then steers the conversation back by asking, "And how are Jiang and Tierney settling in and… adjusting?" Nixie's own smile slips a bit, but she says confidently, "Satomi is dealing with them in her own way. Their respect for their alpha runs deep. Once they figured out she was still alive, they were ecstatic. Then I explained to her what they'd done, and now they're in the dog house. And yes, the pun there is fully intended."

Scott just shakes his head while Malia laughs from beside him. Nixie grins, but then says seriously, "Rest assured. They will never become the hunters themselves again." Scott nods, "And they're all still at the shack?" "Yes." "How many total are there now?" Nixie does a quick count in her head, and then says, "Thirty-five, and still counting. Satomi is still putting out feelers for others in the area that she thinks might be in danger. Carefully, mind you. She's confident she won't be found out and ruin the shack as a hiding spot. But she's expecting answers back soon.

Liam runs a hand through his hair, "I know the shack is in a prime spot for hiding everyone… but the damn thing is too small. It was already too small when it was only Brett and Lori and the Eichen people that were going to stay there. Now we're at thirty-five?"

No one argues with him on that point… but no one has a solution on that point yet either. The shack was the only place that Monroe and Gerard would both never find and never look for the werewolves. All of their houses could be easily compromised, since everyone knew where they all lived. Unless they could somehow build onto the current shack… or simply tear it down and put something larger and nicer in its place… well, it was hopeless.

Carson, confused for the moment, asks, "Sorry… but what's the 'shack'?" Nixie smiles brightly and says, "Well, for a few months, it served as my temporary home. Then it became my hiding place while my dragon and I weren't on the same page. And now it's the hiding place of all our supernatural friends."

When Carson blinks at that, he turns to Jordan, who says, "It's basically a two room house. It has an upstairs, but it's not that big at all. It's barely big enough to properly house one person, let alone thirty-five."

Sighing, Scott says, "We can't do anything until we know where Gerard's keeping his arsenal. That's our next plan of attack. Chris, we know you're working on that angle. But until he finds out where that is, I think our top priority should be figuring something else out for Satomi and the others. There has to be some other place in Beacon Hills that Monroe and Gerard can't find. Or at the very least, a place they would never think to look. Not in a million years."

Nixie nods, muttering, "You would think." Lydia turns to her, "Meaning?" Nixie just sighs, "Meaning, I've already gone over all of Beacon Hills in my head. I… memorized a map of it, and on the runs I've been making to pick up everyone Satomi sends me after, I've been trying to find some other hidden, 'off the beaten path', type of place. And I swear, there isn't one. Or if there is one, then it's protected by some other sort of magical crap that prevents us from finding it."

Everyone's head jerks to the side when Kevin, back from the kitchen, says, "Or… you could use this place."

Nixie raises an eyebrow, which then quickly turns into a frown. Tensing up, she says, "You were in the back. How did you hear us?"

Kevin raises a brow back at her, but then smiles gently and says, "You've nothing to fear from me, Nixie. I've been your friend for a long time, have I not." "Well, yeah… but…" Kevin waves a hand at her, and then takes a breath before saying, "I only used to let you work here so long ago… because I could see how much you needed the job and the money. Other than that, this is a family run store. No one, outside of my own kin, has ever worked her. Apart from you, that is."

Grinning, he adds, "Though I suppose there are very few who wouldn't make an exception for a blue dragon."

It wasn't Nixie that stood up defensively at that. It was Scott, Malia, Liam, and even Lydia. Jordan was turned in his seat, glaring at Kevin while keeping Nixie behind him.

Marcus and his parents have never seen anything like it. Nixie's own protectiveness had already been made apparent. Her body was littered with scars to prove just how far she'd go to try and keep her people safe. But they were just as protective of her, in that sense.

Kevin lifts his hands in a peaceful gesture, and then continues, "I mean you no harm. And I can help you." Nixie looks past Jordan's shoulder and asks, "How? And why aren't you freaking the hell out?" Gesturing with her thumb at the rest of Jordan's family, she adds, "They just found out, and they freaked the hell out. So why not you?" To which Kevin simply answers, "Because beings that are supernatural are not new to me."

No one moves for a moment, and then Scott asks, "Nixie?" She turns to glance at him, and he asks, "What do you see when you look at him?" Turning back to Kevin, Nixie hears Bianca gasp beside her when her eyes close briefly, and then snap back open, completely coated in sapphire blue.

She watches Kevin for a moment, and then tilts her head and says, "I mean… he still looks the same as always. I trust him."

Everyone relaxes slightly at her words, but as Nixie looks closer, using her gifted eyes, she adds, "And he's… not human." Kevin grins slightly, and then shines deep purple eyes down at all of them. Lydia's mouth falls open and Liam bursts out, "Well, what the hell does that mean? Has anyone seen purple eyes before?"

Letting them dim back to brown, Kevin says, "Probably not. Witches and warlocks aren't as great in number as they were long ago." Scott blinks, "Warlock? You're… a warlock?" Kevin nods, and then says to Nixie, "And my restaurant will house those that cannot remain in your 'shack'. This building is also protected by wards and seals that my family and I have cast upon the place. Enemies are not welcome here."

He shrugs after a moment of silence, and then asks, "What do you think?"

Jordan turns to look at Nixie, who is staring at Kevin as though she couldn't believe this was really happening for a moment.

And then, though no one should've really expected anything less at this point, Nixie blurts out, "It sounds great! Obviously! But I'm still bummed."

When everyone looks at her in confusion, she tosses up her hands and says, "I mean… he's a warlock. His family is made up of witches and warlocks. And I've been prepared, from the beginning, to someday meet a witch of some kind. But come on people! When are we finally going to meet a freaking mermaid?! I'm still waiting on that!"

At the collective groan that goes up around her, Nixie smirks and adds, "I'm serious though." Jordan kisses her temple, "Yes, we are acutely aware that you are very serious." "Good. Now, let's get on figuring out how many people need to move into Kevin's place. Because that's something that needs to be put into effect immediately. I'm pretty sure they're starting to set up tents outside of the shack now. And if it rains anytime soon, that is not going to be pretty. Not at all."

* * *

When they get back home, after answering Marcus' slew of random questions concerning the shack, its dark out. Which is actually perfect, since they need no one to be able to see that Nixie is back in Jordan's house.

She couldn't stay every night. It still needed to appear that they weren't in Beacon Hills at all. But at the very least, she was staying with him tonight.

As soon as they do get inside though, Nixie's phone starts ringing. Sighing, she says, "I'll try to be quick."

His fingers simply slip to the dips of her hips, circling there and making her tremble. Kissing the side of her neck, he whispers in her ear, "You better. Because you are not leaving this house again tonight. I will cuff you to the bed if I have to."

He grins at the small gasp that leaves her lips, and then kisses her cheek before heading down the hall… removing his shirt in the process.

As he turns the corner, leaving her sight, Nixie swipes across her phone and says, "This better be good." "Um… I think it is?"

At the new voice on the phone, Nixie frowns and asks, "Who is this? And why do you have my number?" "Oh, um… I'm… I'm supposed to be your roommate. Um… I'm Cierra. Cierra Mitchell." Blinking in surprise, Nixie says, "Oh. Um… hi."

Silence for a moment, and then Cierra says, "The… the RA gave me your number. I… I told her I was worried. She explained that you were… sick… but then gave it to me anyway. Said it was good of me, as a roommate, to want to check in on you. So… are you okay?" Nixie nods, "Yeah. I mean, aside from the sick part. Hopefully it'll clear up soon enough for me to still make it this semester. How's the dorm?" "It's nice. I… picked the right side of the room. I hope that's okay?"

Nixie smiles, "I don't have a preference. Besides, if I really wanted the right side, I suppose I should've shown up to claim it." A pause, and then the girl on the other end giggles a bit. Sighing, she says, "I… hope you don't think I'm being too forward… or prying. But… you don't sound sick."

Tilting her head, Nixie says, "Yeah, well… phones can make it hard to hear." "Yeah, I suppose." Silence again, and then the girl says, "Nixie… you… I know we haven't even really met yet. We've only talked through emails up until this point. But… I consider you a friend. One of my only friends, actually. So… I just want you to know. You can tell me anything. Even… even if you're not really sick. You can tell me, and I won't tell the RA. I won't tell anybody."

Nixie's not entirely sure why she believes this girl. But she does. Perhaps her abilities to sense the truth were expanding. Perhaps a voice was all she needed to hear to discern if she could trust someone or not. Or… maybe it was just the tone of voice she used, when she had said that Nixie was practically the only friend she actually had.

So, with that in mind, Nixie sighs before saying, "Okay. In that case… no, I'm not really sick. I am dealing with a pretty major crisis. Me and my family are, I mean. So… hopefully we can clear it up before it's too late to catch up on the semester. If not, there's always next semester."

Another pause, and then Cierra says, "Thanks… for being honest. It means a lot." "Yeah. I know the feeling. And listen, I'm sorry that I'm kind of leaving you there all alone. But I can't leave this place yet." "And where is it that you're at?" "Beacon Hills." "Right."

After assuring Nixie again that she won't tell anyone else about not being sick, they hang up. Sighing, Nixie says, "If I actually do have to start next semester, I will be killing Gerard. Scott is just going to have to deal with that."

In the bedroom, Nixie frowns and glances around when she doesn't see Jordan anywhere. But then she hears the shower cut on in the bathroom. Grinning a little, she slips his shirt up and over her head as she makes her way back there.

She finds him reaching a hand under the water to test the temperature. Turning back to see her, he smirks at seeing her lower lip already stuck between her teeth. Nixie leans back against the sink as he comes in front of her. Nose brushing against hers, he says, "I missed you." "I missed you too."

On a more serious note, she says, "And I am sorry I lied to you. I didn't want to. And I will never do it again. I don't care what Scott says." Jordan nods, "That's good. But you still have a lot of making up to do." Nixie's eyebrow shoot up, "Oh, is that right?"

Jordan chuckles, "You've been gone for five days. And I've had to share you for the entire sixth one. So yes, that is right." Then he kisses the end of her nose, "But I don't think you'll mind." Narrowing her eyes slightly, Nixie responds, "I wouldn't be so sure. I'm currently debating on whether or not to just make you shower by yourself, given that tone."

Kissing her cheek, Jordan asks, "And now?" "I'm going to bed." He nibbles at the bottom of her ear, "Now?" "I might stay here and watch you shower." Laughing, he parts his lips to suck earnestly at the curve of her neck. Working a hickey into her skin, he then asks, "And now?"

It takes her a minute, but Nixie finally says, "I think the shower's ready. Are you coming?" "Always."

* * *

"What are we going to do about the sink?"

Jordan grins and kisses the top of Nixie's head. Lying in bed together, her body curled up around his, he's tracing warm patterns across the bare skin of her back. As she snuggles in closer, he says, "I don't know. It'll be a while before I can actually replace it." Nixie nods, "Well, maybe we could just keep it. It might make for a great conversation piece."

Smiling as Jordan laughs, Nixie kisses the center of his chest, and then lifts herself up so she can look down at him. As his fingers run through her hair, she sighs contentedly, and then says, "I've been thinking."

When she stops there, Jordan comments, "Always a beautiful, and yet dangerous thing to consider. About what?" Nixie laughs, but then says, "About baby names." Nodding, Jordan asks, "Any in particular that you prefer?" "Do you have any?" Jordan grins, and then says, "I have more of a list of what I don't want the baby's name to be. I'm not really set on any one that I think would be perfect for her… or him."

Nixie rolls her eyes, "You said my confidence gave you confidence back at the diner." "It does. But I would like to leave at least a five percent chance open for the idea that it might be a boy." She finally just laughs at him, and then says, "Okay. _If_ it's a boy… I was thinking Joshua." Jordan nods, "That's a good name. Any reason in particular?"

Lowering her eyes slightly, Nixie says softly, "It was my father's name." Jordan draws her down to kiss her forehead, and then he comments, "You don't talk about him much." Nixie nods, "That's more because I don't really know him. I know what my mom used to tell me about him. I know he was a marine, and that he loved us. But… other than that… I don't really remember anything about him."

Shrugging, she adds, "When I think about a father figure… I picture Noah." Jordan nods, and then can't help chuckling when Nixie adds, "Which is why I'd like our boy's middle name to be Noah." "So you think it's a boy now?" "No. This one is a girl. But when we have a boy, I'd like his name to be Joshua Noah Parrish." Raising an eyebrow, Jordan asks, " _When_ we have a boy?"

Nixie just grins, "What? You didn't think we were stopping at just this one, did you?" She then gives a shriek of surprise as Jordan grips her side and tickles her there. Rolling away from him, she laughs when he simply follows her, pinning her beneath him while tickling her sides. Letting out a scream when he moves towards her hips, she says, "Mercy! Please! Babe, I can't breathe!"

Jordan chuckles as he eases the attention to her sides. Smoothing his hands up and down, tracing over the tiny bump at her stomach, he kisses the center of her chest and asks, "And if we have a girl?" Nixie waits for him to lift his head so he's looking down at her. Biting at her lower lip nervously, Nixie then says, "I… was thinking… Alison."

Jordan pauses above her for a moment, but then smiles gently down at her. Leaning down to kiss her gently on the lips, he says softly, "That's a perfect name." Nixie smiles, and then lets out a breath she'd been holding, "I hadn't settled on a middle name yet for a girl. I love my mom, but I don't like Naomi for a middle name. Nothing I've tried in my head feels quite right. Do you have any…"

She stops when Jordan tilts his head, thinking to himself for a moment. Then he nods and says, "Haven." Nixie tilts her head now, but Jordan simply grins and kisses her again before saying, "Alison Haven Parrish."

Smiling again, Nixie says, "I like it. I… want to ask Chris for his blessing on naming our kid 'Alison' before I settle firmly on that. But… I like it. It's beautiful. Just like her." Jordan nods, and then kisses her again. Smirking when her fingers touch his stomach and begin tracing up his chest, he pulls back enough to say, "Pregnancy hormones." "Yep. That's obviously what's happening here. Though, before we get carried away, I do feel the need to point out that, soon, we should probably figure out at which point we need to stop having sex."

Jordan tilts his head in confusion, to which Nixie tosses up her hands and says, "Well, at some point it has to become bad for the baby's health for us to keep doing this. Right? So we should… ask Deaton… figure out… Jordan, I'm trying to… hmm, right there."

He promises her later, as her eyes are drifting closed, that they will talk to Deaton or Lydia in the morning, about when it would be best for them to definitely quit for the baby's sake. For now though, they lay happily in each other's arms, tangled up in the sheets.

Tomorrow would not be as bright or effective as today was. Nor would many days to come. Gerard and his army had to be stopped, as did Monroe. But for now, they focused on the good. They focused on hope. And they focused on each other.

In the end, those were the things that were going to help them win this war. And yes, they were going to win. Because Nixie will go down and freeze hell over, before she sees her family get run out of this town they'd worked so hard to protect.

* * *

And that's the Intermission! Hope you guys are still enjoying. We're half way there! Yay!


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I maker her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 6: Episode 6x16

"It worked."

As Nixie leans forward to read the text that Lydia just got from Liam, she asks, "And why did he text you instead of me?" Lydia rolls her eyes, and then glances down as another text arrives to her phone. Then she laughs and shows it to Nixie. Liam's next text says, _"And tell Nixie that I didn't text her because I know Mason is about to."_

Sure enough, Nixie's phone goes off, and she glances down to see Mason telling her that Nolan did follow him. Terribly, he might add. And he was leaving Theo and Liam alone at the Hill Valley Zoo.

Mason stresses the part about leaving Liam alone… with Theo. The Theo that Nixie still wasn't completely on board with trusting.

But… Nixie would give Theo this much. She hadn't seen very much of him after defeating the ghost riders and getting Stiles back. But when she saw him at the station over a week ago… well, he was different. He was different when he first got back as well, that much was true. But, he was still changing.

Evolving… maybe. Derek had been a pain in the ass for a long time before he'd lived up to his potential. And once he finally reached it, he evolved into a werewolf that could transform completely into a wolf. Same with Malia, who could now transform into a full coyote.

Granted, when they'd first met him, Theo had no potential whatsoever. He'd been evil to the core, so dark that it literally sent chills up Nixie's spine. And she was a dragon who literally breathed ice, so that was saying something. But ever since he'd come back from the pit that Kira had trapped him in…

Nixie still doesn't trust him yet. Not even if her second sight were to tell her that he was becoming more trustworthy. For Theo, it was going to take more than her eyes. He was going to have to earn it. But she would admit to this. Theo was evolving… in his own way. Her glaring looks that she gave him now were more because of what had happened in the past. Not because of what she saw in him now. Now… she saw hope. She saw a person who had potential; who could be better. Like she'd seen when she saw Derek for the first time.

Which is why Nixie had allowed Liam to go alone to the zoo with Theo. Liam still took the role of being responsible for Theo very seriously, and had already decided that it would be best to have Theo help him be the distraction, rather than have anyone else do it. Theo's surprise when Nixie didn't argue about it was apparent in the way his eyes widened. Sure, she didn't verbally consent to it… but she didn't argue against it either.

Later that night, she'd pulled him aside and out into the garage of her and Jordan's house. That's where they'd been that night, when the put the final touches on their plan.

Her eyes weren't glaring when she looked at him this time. Just firm and stern as she spoke. "Liam might be one of the younger members of the pack. But he is no less 'my boy' then Scott or Stiles always have been." Theo nods in understanding, and then nods again when Nixie emphasizes, "If you harm one single hair on his head while you two are alone together, and I will make quick work of Kira's sword, and I will send you back into whatever underground world you were in before. Got me?"

She'd turned away after he consented that he understood. But then she paused when Theo said, "But… you are going to let me go with him? Alone? You… you trust me with that?" Turning back to him, Nixie had said, "I am not ready to place any great amount of trust in you yet. And I don't know when or if I ever will be."

Then she gentled her tone, much to his surprise, and added, "But… you have potential now. More than even Peter ever has before. And I might not be ready to look at you and call you trustworthy based on my sixth sense. But… I can give you the opportunity to earn the right to be trusted." Then she shrugged, "Besides, you're really supposed to be Liam's responsibility. I'm just here to reinforce the fact that, I can and will send your ass back to hell, if you try to wreak any sort of havoc on purpose."

So in any case, Theo was alone with Liam. Whether he took advantage of this opportunity to earn more of their trust… that was on him.

Putting away her phone, Nixie then turns to see Malia, who is sitting on her left. Leg bouncing up and down, Malia then says, "About time it worked. Now, come on." But as she moves to get out of the car, Scott reaches behind Nixie's back to grip her arm and keep Malia in place. Shaking his head, he says, "Wait. Listen."

All three of them focus their hearing on the building, and then Malia sighs while saying, "I hear them too." Lydia glances back at them, "Hear what?" Scott slumps slightly, "Heartbeats." Chris, from the driver's seat, asks, "How many?" Scott sighs, "Ten?" But Malia shakes her head, "More."

Chris then looks to Nixie, whose eyes have sort of zoned out for a moment as she focuses all of her attention on the sounds she's hearing. Then she nods and says, "Fifteen, at least. Possibly sixteen." At Chris' raised eyebrow, Nixie shrugs, "What? I like to leave at least a little room for error. Geez." Lydia rolls her eyes, though there is a slight grin to her lips. Then she asks, "Are we breaking in or not?"

Before anyone else can weigh in, Chris states, "Not. The armory should be empty by now." Malia makes a face at him before declaring, "We can take down a few hunters if we have to." "Malia, we're dealing with over a dozen, well-armed hunters. Hunters who have orders to kill on sight."

Everyone goes silent for a moment. Then Malia asks the obvious question, "Then how are we supposed to get inside?"

Scott shakes his head, not sure at the moment. But then he grins when Nixie says, "In situations like this, I always feel the safe answer is that we will do it carefully. Very carefully."

Running a hand soothingly up her back, he asks, "What are you thinking?" "For right now, I'm thinking patience is a virtue." Pointing at Chris, she says, "Chris is right, of course. We can't go in while they're all here. And not just because they'll shoot us on sight. If we go in and alert any of them that we're back in Beacon Hills, our cover is blown. The only thing we have going for us right now, is that we're pretty sure Gerard and Monroe think we're gone."

Malia raises an eyebrow, "Pretty sure?" Nixie nods, and then says, "I hate the man. That's a given. But I refuse to underestimate him. So I'm operating under the idea that it's only seventy percent certain that he believes we left. The other thirty percent, is trying to operate on the pretense that he thinks we never left."

Sighing, she adds, "And I'm also trying to work out what exactly he's planning, if he thinks we never left in the first place. But, I digress. For now, we go with the idea that he thinks we're gone." Chris shakes his head, cranking the vehicle, ready to get them all out of here immediately. But Malia surges forward and turns it off for him.

When he gives her a look, she points to Nixie and says, "Seventy percent chance he thinks we're gone. It's a good plan." Lydia nods, and then adds, "It's our only plan." And then she grins when Nixie says, "For now. I will have you know that I'm working on developing a series of plans. They're all very premature in their phases right now, but they are in the works, nonetheless."

Chris sighs, "Regardless of whether this is the only plan or not, currently this plan isn't working." Malia huffs, "We can still do this." And then, when Chris looks like he's still going to argue, Malia adds in, "Let's vote."

Nixie turns to her with a grin, "A very diplomatic solution, coming from our coyote who used to run in the woods on four legs all day. You've come so far. I'm so very proud." Malia makes a face at her, but then grins all the same.

As Scott and Malia try to argue for staying on the mission, while Chris argues against it, Nixie watches as Lydia gets that faraway look in her eyes. And as she reaches toward the windshield, which looks perfectly fine to Nixie… she knows that Lydia is seeing something very different in her own eyes.

Honestly, even though sometimes what Lydia saw could be scary, Nixie was going to let her continue seeing whatever it was she was currently looking at. But then Scott looks forward and asks, "Lydia, you alright?" Lydia jumps in her seat, glancing back at them, and then turning back to the windshield. Tilting her head curiously, she says, "Yeah. I think so."

Then she grins when Nixie says, "She 'thinks' so. Never a good sign when a banshee can't determine if having a premonition is a good thing or not. Whatever we're about to do, we should proceed with the utmost caution."

Chris shakes his head, "What we should do, is call off this mission." Nixie gives him a look, but then simply points to Scott, who says, "Brett and Lori would be dead right now, because of Gerard and Monroe. The only reason they're not, is because Nixie was there to save them. And she's been saving plenty of others as well. But who knows how many there are that we don't even know about, who are already dead. Gerard… he's always one step ahead of us. So we have to do this now."

Glancing back at all three of them, Chris then looks to Nixie. Sighing, he says, "We're too exposed. Ten minutes, and this vehicle gets flagged, and then I don't even know how we're going to get out of here without getting shot at." Nixie shrugs, "We're probably not. But I'm bullet proof. And Malia and Scott can tear down the section of gate just to our right. Ten minutes to get caught. Three minutes to make a door and escape. All you and Lydia have to do, is stay down and not get hit by any bullets that actually manage to penetrate the armored walls of this cruiser."

Chris stares at her for a moment, and then can't help grinning when Nixie asks, "What? You people know I don't go anywhere without, like, a million different contingency plans already in place. This is not some shocking development. Let's move on." Malia nods, "Besides, we may not even need that plan. You said we have ten minutes."

Looking down at his watch, Chris edits, "Nine." And then they all can't help chuckling when Nixie says, "Oooohhhh! Nine minutes now. Pressure's on guys."

* * *

At the zoo, when Theo first punched Liam in the face… well, Liam thought he'd lost is damn mind. Because short of that, he couldn't fathom why Theo would deliberately do what Nixie had ordered him not to. She'd told him not to hurt Liam, at all, in any way, shape, or form. And here he was, punching Liam in the face.

But when Theo started pretending to yell at Scott, Malia, and Lydia… pretending that they were there when they weren't… well, Liam got it. They needed to make the two guys down below believe that the entire pack actually was here. Not just a werewolf and a chimera, who were trying to be a distraction.

Nolan had gotten them here. Now it was up to Theo and Liam to sell them on the idea that Scott's pack was in the zoo. And that required noise. More than just yelling and talking.

Hence the punching, growling, and occasional claws tearing at each other. As Theo rips across Liam's stomach later, ripping his shirt and putting gashes into the skin, Liam lets loose a feral snarl.

In his head, he recites his mantra, and then asks, "Are you done yet? Or should we keep going?" To his surprise, rather than simply continue fighting like Liam thought he would, Theo pauses to glance down at the road in front of the entrance.

Hearing the men talk about needing to call backup, Theo sighs in relief and says, "I think they're sold." Liam stares at him for a moment, and then looks down at himself before saying, "You ripped my shirt." Theo leans back tiredly, "Yeah, well, you broke my nose." Then he gives Liam a look as he adds, "Twice. It healed, and then you broke it again. Two times!"

Liam ponders that for a moment, glancing over Theo's face. Then he nods to himself, and launches another punch. As Theo groans and slumps to the ground, Liam says, "Three times." Glaring at him, Theo asks, "And what was that one for?!"

And now, to his surprise, Liam moves to sit on the ground next to him. Sighing tiredly, Liam looks him up and down, and then nods and says, "That's so Nixie doesn't kill you, or send you back under the ground when we get back home." Theo blinks at that, and then says, "Oh." Liam nods, and then asks, "Out of curiosity, what exactly were you planning on telling her, so she wouldn't kill you after all this?" Theo shrugs, "I was… honestly hoping we could keep it between us. You know… once you understood why I was punching you in the first place."

Liam nods, then looks down at his shirt and says, "You should've thought of that before you ruined my shirt." Theo glances too, and the nods, "Yeah… didn't exactly think that one through." "No, you didn't." Looking over at Theo again, Liam says, "Don't worry. She might not exactly be happy about it… but she's not going to kill you either." "Or send me back underground?" Liam chuckles, "Or send you back underground."

Theo nods, but after a pause, he asks, "Do you know why she's… I don't know… giving me a chance at all? I mean, Peter is Malia's father. He's a relative. And… well, Nixie still doesn't like him enough to give him a chance." Liam looks over at him, and then says, "She says your time underground changed something in you. At first, you were more like the Peter we know nowadays. Bad, but with a very small amount of potential for good. Now Peter, if I'm understanding everything she's said correctly… his potential is completely tied to Malia. If Malia didn't exist, Peter would basically still be the devil incarnate, as far at Nixie's concerned."

Theo nods in understanding, and then turns to look at Liam as the young werewolf adds, "But you… she says it keeps growing. We haven't seen much of you since the end of last year. And… maybe part of you being alone is because you don't think we'd welcome you. And maybe that's partially right. At first, at least. But… what we have seen of you… Nixie says she can see it in you. You want to be better. You're trying to get there. You just… you might not know exactly how."

Resting his head back on the rock behind him, Liam says, "That's where we come in. We may not be ready to trust you completely yet. That might not come for a while. But, we can try to teach you."

After a moment more of silence, Theo comments, "I think I should warn you. I've always been a C-grade kind of student."

And then Theo can't help grinning when Liam says, "Yeah, me too. But with Nixie's help, I've been getting solid B's and A's in almost everything. So I wouldn't worry too much about it."

* * *

As Scott moves to get out of the cruiser, Malia jerks him back and asks, "What are you doing?" Scott gives them all a look when everyone turns to see him, and then explains, "I'm gonna lure them away so that we can get inside."

Nixie turns to Malia, who nods and reaches behind her to grab hold of Scott's arm. And as she yanks Scott firmly so he ends up in the middle seat, Nixie stands up enough to move over him and switch so she's next to the door. Making sure it's still shut, she then locks it as well. Scott stares at her in surprise and says, "We need a new plan!"

To which Nixie simply points to Malia in agreement when the coyote says, "Not a dumb one." Scott throws up his hands, "I'll bring the thermite chargers." "We need them for the armory." Chris nods, "Besides, an explosion would buy you time, but not enough to get in and out safely."

Scott sighs, and then rolls his eyes when Nixie says, "See? This is why we never go off half-cocked with our own plan. We talk it out, find all the flaws, and then come up with a better plan. Together. Please note my emphasis on the 'together' part of that."

As Malia and Scott then start trying to come up with other entry methods with Chris, Nixie leans forward as Lydia says, "Guys…" Head between the side of the vehicle and Lydia's headrest, Nixie asks, "What you got?" "Look." And, sure enough, the people who had been inside begin piling into SUVs and cruisers of their own. Smiling, Nixie says, "Liam did it."

When Lydia raises an eyebrow, Nixie edits, "Fine. Liam and Theo did it. The jackass is being given a chance to earn our trust. Doesn't mean I have to acknowledge every action he ever takes. Geez."

They glance over to see the others still arguing, so Nixie gives a short shout, "Hey!" All three look at her like she lost her mind for shouting, but Lydia intervenes in whatever they'd been about to say, pointing to the cruisers that are now pulling out of the lot.

For a moment they all just wait with bated breath, until the vehicles are beyond their range of hearing. Then Lydia turns to the three in the back and asks, "Well?"

Nixie focuses on the building, and then sighs in relief and says, "Two… maybe three or four people are left. We can handle that." Chris finally nods in approval, and then lifts his paintball gun from the floorboards and says, "Alright. Let's do this."

* * *

"Melissa, you don't understand, I was wrong." Walking down the halls of the hospital with her ex-husband, Melissa replies sarcastically, "That's a first." Giving Melissa a look, Rafe says, "I need to know where Scott is." "Why?"

And begrudgingly, he admits, "I need his help." "Yeah, well, he told me not to tell you." Spinning around to face her, bringing them both to a stop, Rafe says in a softer voice, "Gerard is stockpiling enough firepower to arm a small country. I can't go to the FBI for… obvious reasons. Where is he?"

Shaking her head, Melissa says gently, "It's too late now." "Melissa, he needs to know what's happening." "He does." "No, he doesn't know what's in that armory." Giving him a look, she says, "Don't worry, okay? _You_ did your job."

Her emphasis on the fact that he did his job… like he'd already completed his part of a plan, is what confuses him. Tilting his head, Rafe asks, "What's that supposed to mean?" "It means, now its Scott's turn."

Eyes widening, Rafe asks, "He's still here, isn't he? Doesn't he know how dangerous this is?" "Yes. They are very aware. It has been repeated to them many times, by Nixie. That being said, she wouldn't have left either, unless she knew they had some sort of plan for still protecting us."

Stepping closer to him, Melissa glances around to make sure no one is listening. Then she adds, "Look. Compared to the rest of us, you have known about the supernatural for about five minutes. And we have been doing this for a lot longer than you. So trust me, when I tell you that these kids can handle it. So let them do what they're best at. Saving our asses."

As she walks away, intent on going about her day as though nothing strange were happening, she stops when Rafe calls out, "Melissa." She turns half way towards him, and he adds, "Please tell me he's got a plan." "He's got a plan."

Before she can continue, Rafe's worried voice asks, "And if it doesn't work? If something goes wrong?" Turning to face him again, surprising him with her much calmer expression, Melissa answers, "Then we have Nixie. A person who is, almost literally, half made up of contingency plans and sheer force of will. It will work. Or she will find a way around it to make some part of it work."

When Rafe gives her a confused look, Melissa comes back up to him. "I know you're worried about Scott. And honestly, I used to be the most worried about him too. I was for a long time. Then I saw…" Taking in a steadying breath, Melissa says, "You didn't see what happened to him at the beginning of last school year. You didn't see the way the dread doctors and Theo turned them all against each other. You didn't see…"

She pauses, tears nearly welling up in her eyes. Then she sighs and looks up at Rafe again. "You didn't see him when he almost died. And you didn't see what Nixie did for him. She's a blue dragon for a reason. If there is even the slightest chance that she can do anything to save someone who matters to her, then she does it. Even at the risk of maybe dying herself. She doesn't just take pain, like Scott and the others. She takes the injury. She takes the thing that's supposed to be killing you, and she carries it herself. Because she refuses to lose you. It will only happen over her dead body, or when hell finally freezes over."

Squeezing Rafe's shoulder, Melissa stresses, "So, if you want to worry about someone that really needs to be worried about… be worried about Nixie." And as she walks away, as an afterthought, she adds, "And worry about whatever poor bastard is stupid enough to try and stand in her way."

* * *

At the first guard they meet, Scott points and says, "Nixie." "I've got him."

She didn't even bother grabbing a dagger for this. She just runs up behind him, jumps up onto his back, and then wraps her arms around his neck tight. It only takes a few moments after that, for the cold and her tight grip to choke him unconscious.

Malia takes care of the one after that, and as she and Nixie catch up with the others, Chris shoots a paintball at one of the surveillance cameras, and then hurries them all inside. Scott gives Nixie and Malia a look as they both drop their respective guards on the ground inside the door. Shrugging, Nixie asks, "What? They're on the wrong side. Means we don't have to treat them delicately."

Scott just shakes his head, and then they look at Chris when he says, "The thermite charges will take care of the weapons. Just make sure you're clear before they detonate. Okay?" Scott nods in understanding, and then he and Malia head for where the armory should be located. Nixie, Chris, and Lydia all head for the control room, where all the camera feeds lead to.

As Chris moves in to handle the guy in the chair, Lydia turns to Nixie. "I still can't believe you didn't complain about having to come with us instead of with Scott and Malia." Nixie raises an eyebrow, to which Lydia explains, "You don't consider this… being benched?" "No. I consider it smart."

At Lydia's confused look, Nixie says, "As far as breaking into any place that suddenly becomes closed off in this place, you and I are the best bet. I can freeze any door or wall so it becomes brittle. You can scream so it shatters or flies off the hinges. Getting in this place was the only tricky part of this whole operation. Getting out..." She gestures between herself and Lydia, and then scoffs before saying, "Easy."

Lydia ponders that a moment, and then smiles, "So… we're the ultimate exit strategy. Sweet." "Yeah. And we're the ultimate offense. Long as we stick together, world domination is ours for the taking." Lydia laughs, and then harder when Nixie adds, "Also, this is reminding me that I've been wanting to have a conversation with you. Because there is a small chance that we don't succeed in getting rid of this army Monroe and Gerard are creating. When that happens, we'll end up on the run. In which case, our means of surviving are going to have to turn sketchy. And between the two of us, we could become the greatest bank robbers the world has ever seen."

Nixie grins, and is about to ask Lydia why she's still laughing. Because obviously, Nixie was serious. But then Chris stuck his head back outside and asks, "Are you two joining me, or what?" Nixie nods, and then whispers to Lydia in a conspiratorial voice, "To be continued."

Watching the monitors as Scott and Malia make their way in, Nixie can't help laughing as Malia, with no stealth and all speed, runs up behind the next guard and tosses him into one wall, and then the next. Scott stares at her for a minute, either impressed as well, or just in awe of how fearless she still seemed in all of this.

Nixie makes a note to tell Malia that being fearless wasn't exactly a good thing. As she'd once told Alison, it made it seem as though you no longer cared about anything. About what happened to you, or to the people around you. No… what they needed in all of this, was courage. That's what they needed.

But that conversation would have to come much later. Because while she and Chris were watching the monitors, Lydia was getting that faraway look again. Then she asks randomly, "Did you hear a gunshot?" Nixie glances her way while Chris says simply, "No, I didn't hear anything."

Lydia then tightens her lips into a thin line and confesses, "I hear shell casings." Nixie sighs, "And when the banshee starts hearing things no one else can, it's definitely not a good sign. And what about in Chris' car? What was that?"

Chris looks over at Nixie in surprise, because he'd honestly already forgotten that Lydia had indeed had a premonition of some kind in his cruiser. But Lydia just squeezes his shoulder and says, "She never forgets when I've started to see or hear something. And as for what happened… I saw the windshield crack, and then I heard it shatter right before Scott spoke to me."

Shaking her head at herself, Lydia admits, "I think you were right, Chris. We should've called this off."

She puts her fingers over the button for the mike, about to press it as she continues to hear the endless rounds being fired, and the bullet casings hitting the ground in response. But Chris grips her wrist and reminds her, "Do that and we lose our chance."

As Lydia and Chris continue to argue, Nixie stands back and ponders what should be done. Chris was trying to use logic on Lydia, which was obviously the best option. Since they knew they had a risk of never having another chance again, and then they didn't actually know if there was a risk of being killed… it made more sense to operate based on the risk they knew they were dealing with.

But even as Lydia concedes to that, she turns to Nixie for a final say in the matter. Because Nixie was smart too, and she believed in logic.

But she also believed in Lydia. Even when Lydia couldn't explain what her visions and what she heard always meant… Nixie never doubted that it always meant something. Usually, something bad.

Chris looks at her too, and for a brief moment, he can't help but admire how these two operated. Two of the smartest people in the world, and yet they were in constant disagreement with how certain things should be handled. But only the people closest to them ever knew that. In fact, Chris would bet money that sometimes Lydia and Nixie were the only two people in the room who knew they weren't in agreement with each other.

Because as they'd grown older, their disagreements didn't take place in a loud or abusive or disgruntled fashion. They operated on a give and take system. Both presented their sides. Both presented their pros and cons. And both tried to determine which plan or which option was most likely to succeed, while also preventing as much damage from being done as possible.

Finally, Nixie uncrosses her arms and says, "We're still the best exit strategy in existence. Getting into this place was the only real tricky part. Getting out… we will find a way out. And we will find a way out together. If we have to somehow tear the whole building down to get Malia and Scott out too, then so be it." Nodding, Nixie adds, "We stick with this. For now. But if anything you're hearing starts getting louder… let me know immediately."

Lydia nods, and then they watch as Chris pushes up on a lever that unlocks the door to the armory.

But as Scott and Malia look around, Nixie can tell something isn't right. Chis squints at the screen to try and see all of what they're seeing. Then, he moves to the side and says, "Nixie."

Her sharp eyes look further than he can, even through a screen. Then she frowns, "There's nothing there. No bullets. No guns. Nothing." Lydia gasps, "They knew we were coming." Chris nods, and then hits the button on the mike and says, "Guys, you need to get out of there, right now."

But as they move to do as Chris says, Scott stops them. Frowning, Chris says again, "Guys, get out of there. Now!" Nixie stares hard at the screen, watching as Scott and Malia's lips move as they speak. Then, as Scott and Malia run to a door on the side, Nixie says, "I think they smell Jiang and Tierney."

Chris turns to her and asks, "How did you figure that out?" "I tried reading their lips. Tricky, since I'm not deaf and I'm not an expert. But… I think that's what Malia said. Which makes no sense. They should be at the shack, with Satomi."

But as Scott and Malia are working on prying open a giant metal door, lights on the security board begin lighting up. Gesturing at them, Nixie says, "Chris, explain. What the hell do the red flashing lights and the beeps mean?" But rather than answer her, Chris quickly says into the mike, "No! Do not open that door!"

Too late. And as Scott and Malia jerk it back, the doors of the room they're in slam shut and lock with a hissing sound. And that includes the door to the control room that Nixie, Chris and Lydia are still standing in. Not good. Definitely not good.

Running her hands through her hair, Nixie says, "Damn it. It's like I was afraid of." Lydia gives her a confused look, so Nixie explains, "Gerard never thought we actually left in the first place. He would not have set up a trap like that if he actually believed we weren't here. And this… this is what he was planning, since he didn't think we were actually gone."

As Chris tries to handle the series of flashing lights on the control panel, he curses under his breath. "It's no good. Everything is shutting down. They're locked in, and there's nothing we can do about it." Lydia glances down to one of the flashing lights and asks, "What's this?" Chris glances and answers, "A motion sensor."

Nixie looks at it too, "And the H-100? What's that mean?" Chris sighs, "H stands for halon. It's a fire suppression system. It'll pull all the oxygen out of the room to put out a fire." Lydia freezes in place, "All of the oxygen? How long can a werewolf hold their breath?"

Glaring at the door that is locking them in here, Nixie says, "Long enough for us to get them out. Get ready to scream." But as Nixie comes up to the door, her hands already coating over with frost, she pauses upon feeling a sudden heat at her front. It was strange… because it felt really hot. Hot like Jordan could be. Except, for the two of them, they usually just canceled each other out. This… well, it seemed to be something that counteracted and then also over corrected what Nixie was trying to do.

She touched her fingers to the door, cold as ice, and then jerked back as it actually stung a bit. Eyes wide, she says, "Chris. What the hell kind of door is this?"

He glances at it, and then looks around the room for some sort of book or label to help him figure it out. Then he sighs and says, "It's not the door. It's what the door is hooked up to." He shows her, through a tiny vent at the ceiling, that there are wires leading from the top of the door frame and the door itself, up into the ceiling. Shaking his head, Chris adds, "Judging from the amount of wiring, I'd say they have it hooked up to enough electro-magnetic generators to power a small city. They must have invented a way for the door to recognize when someone was about to make it cold enough to freeze, and this counteracts it."

Nixie and Lydia look to each other for a moment. And then it's Lydia who finally says, "Shit!"

* * *

"We have to warn them." Nixie glances back at Lydia, whose eyes are scanning over the monitors and control panels for what must be the hundredth time already. For her own part, Nixie was still at the overheated door, trying to figure out if there was any point at which she could touch it to try and freeze it.

She'd discovered that, simply because the wiring was connected through the top of the door, she could touch the bottom and not burn her own hands on the heat. But the ice she created would only climb about six inches up from the ground, and then begin melting almost as fast as it formed on the rest of the door.

Chris, standing on a chair and looking into the ceiling above them, answers Lydia with, "We are going to warn them. One of these pipes up here leads to that room." As he ponders how to figure that out, he suddenly pulls his pistol from the back of his jeans. Taking the clip out and handing it down to Lydia, he says, "Tell me when they look like they hear this."

The first and second pipes he hits don't cause any reaction. But on the third one, Lydia says excitedly, "I think he hears you." Chris smacks harder against the pipe for a moment, and Nixie almost wonders if he's trying to send a message in Morse-code. Someone would need to inform him, for future reference, that that would only work if she or Lydia were the one he was trying to communicate with. Well… and Stiles… but Stiles wasn't here.

She's about to tell him that using Morse code is a waste of time, but then he huffs in aggravation. Lydia spins to look and him and asks, "What are you trying to do?" "Break open the pipe." Giving him a look, she then turns her eyes to Nixie and says, "Would you?" "Gladly."

Joining Chris on the chair for a moment, she has her scales coat her entire hand, and then smashes against the pipe. It takes her one punch, and a large hole appears for Chris to use for whatever he wants.

Hopping down, she asks, "So, what's the plan now?" Chris cups his hands over his mouth and hollers into the pipe, "Don't trip the sensors!" He then climbs down too, and answers her, "Pray that they heard me."

Thankfully, they did. Scott ran out of the back room first, dodging the sensor that was scanning near the floor, and then also the one that was scanning nearer their heads. Malia followed right behind him, doing as he'd done.

When they end up on one of the shelves, Malia straddling Scott and both of them lying there together, Nixie raises an eyebrow. Leaning back with a private smile of her own, she mutters, "Well… at least it's not all bad. It's not exactly like somebody shoved the two of them in a closet and locked them in. But we're supernatural people. Doing things in extremes is kind of more our speed."

She joins the others in sighing in relief when, as a third sensor begins scanning the room, Scott is quick enough to drag Malia back down on top of him again. Then she says, "Okay. So, now that they can't move, how do we get them out?"

Chris, eyeballing the main circuit board that everything is plugged into, begins trying to work with a few things. Sighing, he says, "If I can bypass the electrical system, I might be able to reset the console." Nodding, Nixie says, "Great. While you do that, I'm going to continue my negotiations with this dumbass door."

Then Lydia asks, "What the hell is Malia doing?"

Which was a great question. Because the coyote was hanging from a support beam for the moment. And then she leaped up so she was dangling from the ceiling. Leaning back from the screens, Chris says, "Nixie, what is she after? Can you see it?"

Sharpening her gaze, Nixie then says, "There's a lock on some sun roof glass door. I think they're trying to break it so they can get out."

But as soon as Malia does break it, the lock falls to the floor. And one tiny piece of it, hops back up into the air, right as the motion sensors passes by. Ventilation systems kick in, and as all the oxygen is sucked out of the room, Nixie watches a moment more as Malia and Scott both start gasping for air.

Chris and Lydia are talking as they continue watching the monitors. Nixie simply goes back to the door, determined to find a way out to get to them. She and Lydia were the exit strategy. They were the best exit strategy in existence. That had to remain true.

Her husband was a fucking hellhound. The damn door was not going to be the thing that stopped her from saving her friends.

She reaches out her hand to touch the main part of the door again. It stung again, but it wasn't a burning sensation, like it should've been. It was more like pinpricks on her skin. And as she left her hand against the door, that feeling began running up her arm, and towards the rest of her body.

Heat was not foreign to her. She was a cold-blooded creature by nature. Ice and frost were her strong suits. But that didn't mean she knew nothing about having fire within. Jordan's heat usually surrounded her like a blanket, making everything feel wonderfully toasty. This… well, she didn't feel toasty. But she was blanketed in heat again. An uncomfortable heat… but heat, nonetheless.

She couldn't overpower this. There was too much electrical charge going into the door and making it grow hotter the colder she got. And the door wouldn't melt, because her cold and the doors heat canceled out that factor, ironically enough.

So… what if she weren't cold? Deaton had told her, after all, that she should be able to breathe fire, just as easily as she could breathe ice.

It takes a moment to ponder how she might do that. She was used to getting colder when her emotions were heightened. Ice had always been her friend, the thing that responded with her at all times. Fire was foreign, in the sense of it being something that she could control. And she wasn't sure how she was supposed to go about…

She pauses again, and then focuses her thoughts on Jordan. He was the only person that made her feel hot. He made her blush and sent warmth running through her in all the best of ways. Whenever she was warm, truly warm, she was with him.

Nixie finds him in her mind, focuses all of her attention on the way he makes her feel, the way he sees her, and the way his own hellfire usually wrapped around her in a warm caress.

Lydia isn't sure what's happening. One minute, it felt like the rest of the room was growing colder. Which wasn't surprising, since Nixie was obviously upset about her friends dying. But then… everything became incredibly hot.

Chris felt it too, wiping at the sweat forming on his forehead. Looking at each other in confusion, they both then turn to see Nixie at the door.

Her hand came up to snap over her own mouth as Lydia stared at Nixie. Her usually even-toned skin was pink from how warm and hot she currently was. They're usually blue and cold friend… the person who could create a snowstorm with her bare hands… was making the room feel like a sauna.

Nixie snapped her eyes open, silver eyes shining brightly as she took in deep breaths. She could feel the heat building inside of her, rising to heights that no one would've ever dared to dream. Taking two steps back, letting her teeth elongate and her scales erupt over the rest of her skin, she then roars at the door blocking their exit.

It was almost more than fire. Chris would swear it was straight up lava that came shooting out of her mouth. But it hit the door with intensity, and almost immediately began eating away at the metal, melting it down to the floor.

When nothing but the singed doorframe remained, Nixie finally stopped. Taking in a breath, she winces at how dry her throat feels. Yeah, she can breathe fire. But unless it was absolutely necessary, there was no way she was doing that again. She felt like she'd been stranded in a desert for weeks now, with absolutely no water in sight.

Ignoring that though, she turns to the other two, and then points to the screens. Men with guns, hunters who were returning, are making their way to the armory, where Scott and Malia are trapped. Wincing again, she says in a cracked voice, "Let's go."

Chris' concerned look only lasts for a moment. Lydia quickly grips his arm before he can speak and says, "After. She just needs water, and we'll get it after. Right now, she's right. Let's go."

When they reach the hall with the hunters, Chris holds out a hand to Nixie. She gives him a look that says to back the hell off, but he shakes his head. "I've got this. Keep your strength. We need you and Lydia for the door."

Nixie feels the need to remind him that she's more than capable of kicking a hunter's ass, and still freezing the door they get to. But her throat enflames again at the very idea of trying to say anything else right now. So she hangs back for what she deems will only be ten seconds, allowing Chris to go first so he can feel some semblance of peace at her listening to at least part of what he's just said.

He tosses the smoke grenade, and then takes out the lights in the hall. And after he knocks out the first two hunters in his way, Nixie grabs Lydia's hand, and they hurry to follow him.

As Nixie pulls out a dagger and slices into the back of one man's arm, it's not lost on her that Lydia freezes in the middle of the hall for a moment. And as one of the men rushes up to her, Nixie quickly throws the man she's handling through a nearby window. He'd probably break something on his way to the ground outside, but she was past giving a shit at this point.

Ramming into the man two seconds before he's in front of Lydia, she hears something in his body crunch before he crumples to the floor. Nixie then meets Lydia's lost gaze. Gripping her shoulders, Nixie asks in a croaked voice, "What? Lydia, what do you see?" Shaking her head, Lydia says, "I'm… not sure. I… I don't understand."

Nodding after a moment, Nixie says, "Alright. Make a note that we'll figure it out later. Right now, let's break this damn door down."

They move in front of it, and Chris steps back and says, "No wires connected to this one." Sighing in relief, Nixie lets her cold permeate the entire hall. Coating her hands in frost and ice, she then targets it at the door, shoving all of her coolness in that direction. And as it coats over and becomes more susceptible to breakage, Lydia takes in a few deep breaths before using her hands to target her scream directly at the door.

It only takes a few seconds after that, and the door actually does split into two pieces as it bursts inward and falls onto the floor.

Scott and Malia gasp in breath as the air from outside floods into the room. Relaxing a bit, Nixie then points to Malia and says, "Never, under any circumstances, do anything like that, ever again. Ever." Malia nods, but then smiles a bit when Scott defends her, "I think she did alright." Nixie raises an eyebrow, "Sure. Right up until the part where she tripped the sensor that made both of you start suffocating. Up until then, you two were spot on."

Wincing, Nixie then turns to Lydia and says, "I really need some water." Malia nods, "Yeah, what's wrong with your voice?"

Lydia grins, "Our pack dragon just figured out how to do something else amazing. But we'll get to that later. Right now, we need to get out of here, before Gerard and Monroe come back."

Everyone nods in agreement, but before they actually go, Scott hollers, "Wait." He runs into the spare room, the one he shouldn't have opened in the first place. Then he comes back out with… well, it looks like it must be a map that's rolled up under his arm.

But before Nixie can ask about it, Scott hands her two glass display cases. Each one contains a peeled or carved off section of human flesh. Each with Satomi's pack symbol on it. And as Nixie takes a whiff, she can smell that they had definitely come from Tierney and Jiang.

Looking up at Scott, Nixie says, "They didn't tell me that happened to them. Why Satomi would also keep that a secret from me, I don't know. But I'll have a word with her later. She may not have wanted me to think it was my responsibility to share their pain. But that's my call. And look at the trouble it got us into today."

Scott nods in approval, and then grins a little when Nixie asks, "What's with the treasure map?" "I don't think it's a treasure map." "Well, obviously. I was being sarcastic. Come on, Scott. Keep up with me."

* * *

Back at Scott's house, as Chris unrolls the map on the dining room table, they look at the seven red dots pinpointed on it. Tilting her head, Nixie tries to see if there's some sort of lateral or longitudinal pattern there somewhere. But there isn't one that she can see. As she's trying to look for some other pattern type though, Chris says aloud for everyone, "They're Nemetons."

Nixie would've commented on the fact that, maybe stupidly, she hadn't known there was more than one in the world. But before she can get to that, she sees Lydia's head jump and turn to the side. The banshee was hearing things. Again.

Whatever she'd been hearing all day, it didn't have anything to do with the armory, or with Liam at the zoo. It was going to happen somewhere totally different, and effect completely different people. But who, and when?

Reaching out to touch Lydia's shoulder, she opens her mouth to ask what's going on. But then Melissa asks, "What does Gerard want with the Nemetons?" Mason, who is standing at the table with them, says, "Well, if they're like the one here, then they're all beacons for supernaturals."

And even Lydia looks down at the table, more concerned with that then with her visions for a moment. Chris leans back in a horrified sort of way, and says, "If you wanted to kill very supernatural creature in the world, these are where you would start." Melissa's eyes widen, "Then Gerard isn't gonna stop with Beacon Hills, is he?" Chris shakes his head, "He wants the whole world."

Everyone then jumps slightly when the door opens and shuts, rather loudly in the otherwise quiet room. Seeing it's only Rafe, Nixie tosses up her hands and says, "We're a pack on the run from the law. Knocking would be a wise choice."

Rafe nods to let her know he'll make a note of that, and then asks, "Where's Scott?" Melissa sighs, "He's upstairs. Why?" "He can't leave. No one can." Expression turning wary, Melissa says, "Nice to see that you've changed your mind, but I'm afraid to ask why."

Nixie perks up when Rafe answers, "It's Gerard's weapons." Because it would obviously be really nice to know where the hell those had gone. Melissa had informed them earlier, after they'd failed at blowing them up, that she didn't understand what could've happened to all of them. Rafe had told her earlier that there were enough in there to arm a small country.

Lydia's head jerks again, so Nixie tugs on her arm so they move closer to the table. Hands on her shoulders, Nixie asks, "What?"

As Lydia tries to listen and figure it out, Nixie makes a note that Scott enters the room. And Rafe is informing everyone of the truly horrifying fact, which is that Gerard had managed to distribute his guns legally, to the citizens of Beacon Hills. At no charge.

The man had just armed the entire town. Every man, woman, boy and girl… every single person that walked down the street… they would now be armed and dangerous.

Focusing back on Lydia, Nixie gives her a slight shake and asks, "What is going on?" Lydia shakes her head, so Nixie says, "Describe it to me. Everything. Every sound. Every sight. Everything." Taking a breath, Lydia says, "Gunshots and shell casings again. And… something else. Like… no, not a shattering. I mean… yes a shattering. But… there's more after that. Not glass breaking but…"

Lydia freezes for a moment, and then meets Nixie's eyes and says, "Like ice coating over everything." Nodding, Nixie says, "If it's ice, then it's me. Isn't that at least a good thing?" But Nixie frowns when Lydia shakes her head, "No… no, it… it doesn't feel that way this time. This isn't… its bad Nixie." "And how close it?" "Close. It's so close. I… it's getting louder and louder. I can't…"

Nixie was going to tell her to calm down… except it happened again. The sound of an arrow being set loose from its bow.

Even though she wasn't hear, Alison would forever be protecting them in her own way.

Nixie doesn't wait. Lydia sees her eyes widening and is about to ask what's wrong. But Nixie shoves her into Mason and shouts, "Everybody down!"

Her reaction time, in spite of the fact that she'd heard the arrows early… was delayed in part. Not in her protection of her people. Her wings were already out, stretching nearly across the entire length of the room. And her scales were erupting on her skin, even as the flash of the arrows that had bounced off her wings lit up the world with a bang.

But her scales… they appeared in the wrong order. It usually started with her head, or her hands. It eventually spread to the rest of her, and usually at a rapid pace.

But it didn't start at her head today. It didn't start at her hands either. Nixie glances down as she feels an unconscious maternal instinct of the dragon kick in.

And as great of a discovery as that would've been… Nixie did not get to enjoy it. Because her scales didn't start appearing at her head until it was a second too late.

As her wings suddenly trapped everyone underneath them, dragging everyone to the ground, Scott was confused. They were already heading for the ground, but surely Nixie didn't need to join them there. She was bullet proof with her scales…

The wings disappeared, which was shocking for everyone. So long as the bullets kept flying into the window, Nixie's wings should've stayed out, hovering over them. Protecting them. So what…

As the last of the bullets dies down, Scott sits up and is about to ask what the hell happened. But as he sees blood leaking onto the floor, his eyes widen and his jaw goes slack at the sight. His father had a graze, but appeared to be okay aside from that. Lydia appeared to be hit too… but again, not so severely as to cause the blood that was pooling on the floor.

But Nixie…

Melissa screams in horror. Nixie's eyes are rolled back into her head. Frost and ice are forming around her, spreading out to fill the entire room and house. And blood was leaking from what appeared to be her head. And as Scott joined his mother on Nixie's left side… he feels a sense of dread sweep through his entire system.

There was a bullet hole, directly and almost perfectly placed, in Nixie's left temple. Her scales had not stopped it from hitting her. He couldn't… Scott just can't even fathom how that's possible. She was Nixie. As far as her dragons scales went, she was supposed to be indestructible, except on the occasion when ghost riders were present.

And as the world around them continued to grow colder and colder… Scott couldn't help but imagine that hell might finally be freezing over.

* * *

Chapter 6 complete. Hopefully, chapter 7 will soon follow. :)


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I maker her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 7: Episode 6x17

In the hospital, after hearing from the waiting room that his mother was going to be fine, Scott hurried down the halls until he found the room his dad was supposed to be in.

Empty.

His eyes briefly turned a deep shade of red before he snapped them closed and took several deep breaths. Then they almost turned red again when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Whipping around, he relaxed when he saw that it was only Noah standing behind him.

Gesturing to the empty room, Scott demands, "Where's my dad?" "Transferred to San Francisco Memorial. He's gonna be fine." Scott lets his mind take a moment to wrap around that, and then nods, "Okay. And what about Mason?" Noah nods, "Already out of surgery?" "Lydia?" "She's alright too. Bullet missed everything that matters, thank God. We got lucky."

Scott lifts his eyes to the sheriff's at that, and then he shakes his head. "No, Noah. We didn't get 'lucky'. We had Nixie. We would be dead, if she hadn't protected us for those first five seconds. And now…" He grits his teeth, unable to continue. And though he looks at Noah in desperation, the sheriff can only shake his head sadly. Scott didn't really expect him to have heard from Deaton though. If Deaton was going to call anyone with news of Nixie's improvement or decline, he would've called Scott first.

Well, maybe Jordan first. But Scott would be second.

Everyone else, even Lydia, was in the hospital. Lydia's own supernatural talents weren't visible enough to keep her from being here and treated properly. The other three were human. And they were all going to be fine. But Nixie…

They couldn't bring her to a hospital. They couldn't even bring a real doctor to her. So she was at the clinic, where Deaton and Grams were working to try and figure out what was going on. Because Nixie wasn't dead yet. But she certainly wasn't waking up. And if she continued to bleed, she would eventually die from blood loss.

Which at this point, seemed utterly and completely stupid. To die of blood loss, when she was already struggling to survive the bullet she'd taken to her temple.

Scott shakes his head to clear some things away, and then says to Noah, "They almost died. Nixie might still be dying." Noah shakes his head now, "No. Everyone here is going to live, Scott. And Nixie… she's tougher than we give her credit for. She was tougher when she was still considered human, and she's a hell of a lot tougher now. She's gonna make it."

And then, more to himself than to Scott, he adds, "She has to."

And now he shakes himself to come back to the present. Pointing to the doorways, Noah explains, "We're going to have two deputies posted here around the clock. Only the deputies that Nixie has told me herself that I can trust, one-hundred percent. Nobody sets foot on this floor without my authorization."

When Scott doesn't look satisfied and begins walking away, Noah follows, "Scott. I've got a pretty good idea how you're feeling right now. But the entire sheriff's department…" He pauses, and then edits, "The entire part of the sheriff's department that Nixie trusts is gonna be on this."

And Scott actually is surprised at the anger he can hear in Noah's voice when the man adds, "I am gonna find out who did this."

But even if Gerard and Monroe didn't do it directly, Scott stares Noah down and states, "We both already know who did this."

And as he walks away, leaving Noah behind, Scott mutters to himself, "And if Nixie doesn't wake up and do it herself, I'm going to kill both of them for her."

* * *

Liv has tears streaming down her face as she sits in a nearby chair. Deaton and Grams were moving about the room in a more frantic way than anyone had ever seen them move before.

Nixie's lifeless looking body was laid out on one of the operation tables in the middle of the room. Apart from the slight and rapid rise and fall of her chest… and apart from the fact that her eyes were still rolled back in her head… she looked like she could be dead.

Of course… there were other factors that clearly implied she was still very much alive. The fact that the entire clinic was freezing was one of them. Deaton has a Bunsen burner on with a bowl of water over top of it, just so they can have some in liquid form if they need it. Everything else in the room was frozen solid.

Deaton and Grams also kept throwing blankets back into a warming cabinet, alternating old for new, and putting the heated material over Nixie's stomach. It didn't matter that she was a dragon of ice and snow. The baby inside of her needed to be kept warm.

And while Nixie's body was doing an excellent job of protecting the baby in other ways… it was not capable right now of keeping the baby warm.

Grams tries to put in a line so they can do a blood transfusion. Though it had slowed, Nixie was still bleeding, and pretty soon she'd be at four pints. That was the most a human body could lose before it definitely began shutting down and dying.

But, as they'd already tried before, the needle simply broke against Nixie's skin. Her scales weren't out on the rest of her body. But as soon as a foreign object came into contact with her, they emerged beneath the surface, pushed back, and prevented anything from breaking through.

Her body's own self-preservation instincts were going to cause her to die, if they couldn't figure out something, and fast.

Liv jumps up as she hears the door to the clinic slam open. Deaton's fairly certain the glass panes of the door can be heard shattering and hitting the floor.

But as Jordan barrels into the room, he decides that he'll worry the deputy about that detail later. The hellhound's eyes widen in terror at seeing Nixie on the table in the room.

He'd been at home at the time, the other members of his family joining him. They'd said they wanted to talk to him about something, and assured him it didn't have anything to do with trying to make him move back to Virginia. So he'd agreed for them to come to his house to see what they wanted.

Marcus had an idea for 'the shack', as everyone kept calling it. Jordan raised an eyebrow at the prospect of someone wanting to do anything with it. And if they intended to tear down part of the woods and turn it into a hotel; that was not going to set well with anyone. But Marcus promised that wasn't what they wanted. He had plans more for how to improve the building that was currently operating as a hideout for so many supernatural creatures. He had plans to make it better, so that if the space for such an event was ever needed again, it would actually exist for them to use.

Jordan had been trying to hide a grin at that. The fact that his brother and his parents were trying to plan something like this, and had no intention of ever using it as a means for profit, was a sign that they really were committed to the idea of being a family again.

Marcus had only been about a minute into his thoughts, when Jordan's phone had begun ringing. And upon seeing Nixie's name, he'd answered instantly.

And at the panic he'd heard in Grams' voice when she first answered, Jordan immediately began moving so he could leave and head to wherever they needed him as fast as possible. And when she explained that it was Nixie that was in the most danger at this point… well, Jordan knows if he hadn't been a cop, there's no way he would've made it all the way here without being pulled over.

Grams had tried to prepare him over the phone for what to expect. But there was really no way to be prepared for this. Stepping further inside, Jordan swallows thickly. He honestly feels like he might be sick at any moment. But he holds that back as he approaches the side of the table.

His wife. His dragon. His beautiful Nixie… looked all but dead.

Deaton and Grams look at each other worriedly for a moment. They'd been hoping that Jordan's heat would help cancel out the cold, or bring Nixie out of her comatose state. But so far, nothing had changed. Which could, of course, also be because Jordan wasn't putting off a whole lot of heat right now. In fact, he almost seemed incapable.

Resting a hand on her forehead, Jordan asks in a trembling voice, "Is she… dying?" Grams places her hand over his, but then jerks back when her hand burns at the touch. Okay… so Jordan was hot. He was just trying to keep it contained. Or maybe his grief was containing it. No one could be sure. There was still so much that they didn't know about what these two were.

He gives his grandmother an apologetic look, but then asks the question again. Sighing, Grams says, "She's not dead. But if we can't give her a blood transfusion soon, she's going to lose more blood than her body can handle. Not to mention the baby." Jordan nods, and then glances back briefly to see his brother and parents entering the room. He's honestly not sure how they managed to follow him. He's not even sure Nixie would've been able to keep up with how fast he'd been going.

Back to her, he asks, "How… how is she not dead? She got hit in the head?" Grams nods and shows him the hole still in Nixie's temple. Tears leaking down his cheeks, Jordan tries to ask, "How…" Deaton shakes his head, "We don't know. But we do know why she got hit there in the first place."

He draws back the warming blanket from Nixie's stomach, revealing to everyone's shocked eyes, that Nixie's scales were out and present there. Wrapping around from front to back, the area that held her baby was completely covered and protected.

When Jordan looks back to Deaton for more explanation, he explains, "When she heard the arrows begin flying, protective instincts kicked in. For Nixie, that always means protecting everyone around her first, and herself second. Usually, even in those cases, her scales appear over the most vital parts of her being to begin with, and then spread to the less vital parts after that."

Placing a hand over her scale-covered stomach, Deaton says, "But right now, Nixie has another person to protect. And since the baby is inside of her, the womb becomes the most vital part of her being. So that is the place that gets protected first. It's her dragon instincts… and her own instincts."

Then he sighs and says, "But I have no idea how she's still even alive. She clearly is, or the scales on her stomach would've disappeared. Not to mention how her body fights us whenever we try to inject her with something. But… I mean… if the bullet is lodged in her brain, I don't know how she's still functioning."

Jordan blinks, and then asks, "You haven't taken the bullet out?" "We can't. We don't have the tools for that."

For a moment silence reigns. There really wasn't much to say. They were trying everything they could think of. What more could there be to do?

Finally, Jordan simply asks, "What can I do?" Grams removes the warming blanket from Nixie's stomach, already turned cold even though it had barely been a few minutes. Sighing, she says, "You can warm her up. And maybe the whole place around her. We can't crank any of the heaters high enough anymore to cancel her out. And the baby… they both need warmth."

Nodding, Jordan removes his shirt, and then briefly lights his entire body on fire. Then he dims it down, so it simply looks like there was living and moving lava beneath his skin.

Deaton and Grams move Nixie to the side carefully, giving Jordan just enough room to lay beside her. Not that he needed it. As soon as he was on the table and they let her go, Jordan wrapped himself around her.

Her cold, for a moment, nearly took his breath away. This wasn't like what they normally did. It was usually a rather gentle give and take on their part. But not today. Today Nixie's cold was almost violent in its fight to cancel out his heat.

But his wife needed to be warm, and so that's what she'd be. He felt his family behind him cringe back at the wave he sent out into the entire area. But he trembled in relief when Nixie's body finally responded in a way that was familiar. At the overwhelming heat that overtook her own, he could actually feel the tension in every bone and muscle of her body relax.

Glancing up at Grams, he nods to her arm and says, "Try the transfusion now." Veronica blinks in surprise, but does as he says. And sure enough, the needle slides in smoothly. Deaton runs into the storage room for more bags of O-positive, helping Grams set up the blood bag on the hanger that they'd moved into the corner.

Deaton sighs as he watches the blood flow through the line and into Nixie's body. At the very least, she wouldn't bleed to death. But then he turns to Grams and asks, "Now, what the hell do we do about the bullet?"

* * *

As Liam slams Gabe into the mirror of the locker room, he yells, "You think I'm gonna kill you?! You think we're all killers?! Maybe we should be!" He shoves so hard against Gabe's skull, that the mirror cracks and Gabe's face gets cut and starts bleeding.

Theo watches from the back of the room for a time, trying to choose his words and timing carefully. He knows that the entire pack's reason for being more distraught than usual, is because Nixie's practically in a coma. According to Malia, who had actually answered him when he asked about this, Nixie had only ever been in a situation like this once before. When she was still acting as the emotional tether for Scott, Stiles, and Alison.

Back then, Scott had managed to rally everyone and save Malia from being killed as a full coyote. That had also been the incident that helped them all close the open doors in their minds, allowing for Nixie to return to them. But now… this was different.

As Liam shoves Gabe's head harder against the glass, Theo finally steps forward. Tilting his head, he asks, "You're really gonna kill him?" When Liam looks back to see him, Theo adds, "I mean, I don't care if you do. But, have you thought this through? Any idea where you're gonna dump the body? And no one saw you grab him, did they? Because that could be a problem."

Shoving harder still, Liam growls out, "I don't care." Theo nods, "I don't either. But Nixie would." Liam's head snaps back around so fast, Theo can't help widening his eyes at the action. But he recovers quickly and says, "Nixie's always threatening to kill people. I got that. But I know that she and Stiles always had plans to get away with it. Elaborate, well-thought-out, detailed plans."

Tilting his head again, as though contemplating something, Theo adds, "It should probably, at some point, really worry all of us that both of them are so very prepared to commit mass murder and get away with it."

Back to Liam, Theo shrugs, "But since you don't have her right now, you're acting rashly, and on your own. So, at least let me help. I am the one with experience here." Liam snarls, but turns to look at Theo again, as though curious. Theo shrugs again, "If we kill him, we'll have to find the witnesses and kill them, too. Which means we're gonna need shovels, some plastic bags, maybe a chainsaw… and I know I've heard your dragon mention having buckets of bleach on standby somewhere. We should probably grab those too."

Finally, after a moment or two more, Liam releases Gabe's head and drops him to the floor. Eyes looking at the blood on the mirror and sink, Liam feels a wave of shame pass through him as he says, "You made your point." Theo nods, but as Liam keeps his head down, Theo also points out, "And you didn't kill him. That's progress."

Glaring, Liam asks, "Why do you keep trying to save me? You think it'll make Scott forget about everything you did, and he'll just let you into the pack? Scott's never gonna trust you!"

Theo takes a second to remember that Liam's not really this hateful. He's just still incredibly upset. Taking a breath, he says calmly, "You might wanna remember what Scott's goal has been all along. Keep people alive."

Liam's glaring eyes calm slightly at that, and another wave of shame passes over him. But before he can apologize, they both turn to look at Gabe on the floor, who says, "He should try harder." Liam glares, "What are you talking about?" Pushing himself into a sitting position, Gabe asks, "You don't know, do you?"

Coming up beside Liam, Theo asks, "Know what?" And when it looks like Gabe isn't going to answer, Theo sighs, "Alright. My turn." Grabbing the boy, he slams him back into the already broken mirror. His face was definitely going to have a deep cut by the time this was over.

Judging from the look on Liam's face though, no one was going to say that Theo was in the wrong to have put it there. Apparently, with Nixie's life hanging in the balance, a lot of leeway was created concerning what a person could get away with.

Finally, Gabe gets out, "The other bodies." Liam blinks, "What other bodies?"

* * *

As Noah and Monroe exit his office, he can't help but feel a little defeated. Not surprised… but defeated nonetheless. Nixie had made sure everyone knew, that neither Monroe nor Gerard could be reasoned with. Their hearts had been hardened by hate, and violence was the only thing they responded to now. Not reason, not logic… only more hatred and violence.

Still… he'd felt like he had to try. And at the very least, he does believe he's given Monroe a reason to be more wary of Gerard than maybe she was before. But she was still a hunter. She was still part of Gerard's army. And she was still determined to wipe supernaturals off the face of the planet.

Sighing, he looks for Jordan first. Then Noah rolls his eyes at himself. Nixie was out of commission, and last he'd heard, no one was any closer to figuring out how to fix her. Jordan would be wherever she was, until that situation was finally resolved.

Turning to DeWitte, another officer near the front, Noah says, "DeWitte, escort this woman out of my station."

But though he'd felt defeated before… Noah feels it sink in even further when DeWitte doesn't move, and Monroe asks with a smirk, "Your station?" Two other deputies in the back cross their arms as well, clearly showing that they were on Monroe's side. Back to DeWitte, Noah says sternly, "DeWitte, do you hear me? I just gave you an order."

DeWitte's only response is to stand up and move to Monroe's side. Hands at his waist, he was clearly trying to intimidate the sheriff in front of him.

They had no idea the things he's seen in the past. He was in the army. He was in the know of Scott's pack. The last thing that was going to scare him, was a young deputy and his holstered pistol. Staring straight back at him, Noah says, "Deputy, think long and hard about what you do next."

Shrugging, DeWitte responds, "Let's just say, you might want to reconsider, _Sheriff_." He says the last word mockingly, and Noah knows what's about to happen. Even before Monroe speaks, he knows the words about to leave her mouth are, "This is my station now."

As other officers, ones that Nixie had told him not to trust before, begin moving around to block him in, Noah shakes his head. "You're a fool to trust him. Gerard only cares about himself and his ambitions."

Monroe clasps her hands behind her back. "I don't trust him. But I do know one thing. He's going to win. And that's what I care about." Noah shakes his head again, glancing at his fellow officers that are turning on him. If Nixie makes it out of her comatose state to get back to them, he would never hire anyone that she told him not to. Not ever again. He'd stay short staffed for years, if that's what it meant. He no longer cared.

Grinning, Monroe adds, "You said so yourself, sheriff. Nothing is more important to Gerard than this fight. Not the life of a young man. Not the lives of his allies. Not the lives of his own men. That's how strong his belief is. He won't stop. And that's why he'll beat you."

Cocking her head to the side confidently, she turns to DeWitte, "Deputy. Please relieve the sheriff of his badge and gun."

But as DeWitte moves forward, Noah balls up his fist. "Do it, and you'll be feeling the pain of a whole lot more than just jail time." As the deputy looks at Monroe, she nods for him to still go ahead and do it. But when he looks back at Noah...

The look in the sheriff's eyes promised death. And there were other things that had to be taken into account. For one, Noah was former army. There were things he knew how to do that the others simply didn't. Jordan might've been the only one who could best Noah… and he obviously wasn't on Monroe's side. Then there was the fact that Noah was Stiles' father, who was Scott's best friend. There would be no swaying his opinion on which side he would rather fight for.

And then there was Nixie. No one knew where she was yet, but everyone knew what had happened. Someone with a scope on the house had seen her go down. Maybe she was dead. Maybe she was simply hurt more severely than the rest. But the bottom line was, Nixie was still practically Noah's daughter. And whether they'd actually pulled the triggers themselves or not… it was easy to see that Noah blamed them all for whatever was happening to her.

Hell had no fury like a father whose children had been injured on his watch.

When no one moved to try and touch him, Noah did feel a slight satisfaction. He was still beaten in terms of having to leave the station. The mantle of sheriff was going to have to be reclaimed later. For now, he would have to leave. But at least these men and women knew who they were dealing with. They'd seen enough to know better than to follow Monroe blindly.

As he heads for the door, he pauses in front of them. Turning back around, he says to Monroe, "I never said Gerard wouldn't beat me. I said he wouldn't beat Scott and Nixie." Monroe narrows her eyes, "Your fearless little dragon is all but dead… if she isn't dead already. And her pack is…"

Noah cuts her off with, "She's not fearless." At the surprised look on Monroe's face, followed by the deputies in the station, Noah explains further. "She is terrified, constantly. Of losing the people who matter to her. Of seeing them hurt. Of not being able to stop bad things from happening to them. And surely, Gerard has explained to you what she's willing to do. Surely you know about all the scars she has, from things she's done in the past, to save her friends."

He shakes his head. "She's not fearless. The idea of losing them… it's almost crippling. And that's not because she's a coward. It's because she cares. Because her heart is larger than you or Gerard can ever understand."

Noah glances around at his deputies, and then says, "She's courageous. She overcomes her fear, always, and does what is necessary to stop evil things from happening. She takes to the streets at hundreds of miles an hour, to get there on time. She jumps in front of bullets and knives, to prevent the people she loves from getting hurt. And though she hasn't had to yet, she would kill everyone that she felt was necessary, if that's what it takes to protect her pack and family."

Glaring at Monroe, he says, "She won't stop. And she has more to lose than you, or Gerard. And that's why she will win."

And without another word, or waiting to see if he's swayed anyone else with his words, Noah makes his way out the door.

* * *

It takes them a while to finally get Gabe to lead them to the bodies. And what they find in the freezer… well, it's terrifying. The people's eyes and their mouths look like something from inside of them boiled over and slithered out.

Liam steps aside to answer his phone, but still listens when Theo asks, "Does the teacher know about this?" Gabe points, "That's the teacher."

Theo then glances over at Liam, whose hand briefly trembles around the phone. He's probably trying very hard not to crush it.

When it gets gently taken from his hand, Liam turns to find Theo holding it to his ear. Nodding, Theo says, "Scott, Liam's in the midst of being very close to having a nervous breakdown. I'll let him know."

Hanging up, Theo then says, "Noah's not sheriff anymore. Nixie's still comatose, but stable. Everyone in the hospital is still fine. But, Peter and Deucalion have both turned Scott down for help. Deucalion offers his guidance… but he won't fight in a war again."

Liam snarls, and then says, "Maybe this is hopeless." Theo tilts his head, and then smirks, "Nixie would probably smack you in the head for saying that. I'm not going to pretend I have that liberty. But if you think it would knock sense into you…" Liam gives him a look, but also notes that every time Theo has mentioned Nixie's name, he's found it easier to calm down and gain back his control.

Narrowing his eyes, Liam is about to ask what he thinks he's doing. But Theo beats him to it and says, "Nixie's a pressure point. For all of you. And sometimes, pressing on that is a bad idea. It causes more pain than it's worth." Shrugging, he adds, "And sometimes, if you know what you're doing, using that pressure point can be the thing that brings everyone back into focus. And that's the kind of pressure point Nixie is for you guys. She's always what you need her to be. And right now, you need to focus and pull it together."

Liam stares at him for a moment, and then says, "Thanks." Theo nods, and then gestures back to the freezer so Liam can have a look. Sighing, Liam simply says, "Unless there's a gun in there too, this isn't helping us find the shooter." Theo nods again, and then looks up at Gabe and asks, "Why'd you hide these bodies?" Gabe simply responds, "We didn't want to get caught." "Caught doing what?" "Testing them. To see if they were werewolves. And they were."

Liam glows his yellow eyes at Gabe, "Just like how you tested Corey?" Gabe shrinks back slightly, and quickly adds, "But we didn't kill them. Look at their faces. Something else did that." Theo sighs, "The Anuk-Ite." Gabe blinks, "The what?"

Shaking his head and ignoring Gabe for now, Liam asks, "Why would it want to kill anyone? It feeds off fear. Dead people aren't afraid." Theo shrugs, "Maybe the killing is just a by-product." "Of what?" "Of it looking for its other half. Which means it's looking for a supernatural creature. Someone like us."

Nodding in understanding, Liam says, "Okay. So these three could've been werewolves. Just not the ones that the Anuk-Ite's looking for." Theo nods, and then glares at Gabe while adding, "Which means you've been helping it. Idiot." He slams the freezer shut, making Gabe jump in fear. Then Gabe shakes his head, "I don't even know what you guys are talking about. I was just helping Aaron. It was his idea to test everyone." Theo tosses up his hands, because finally, this was helpful information. "Who's Aaron?"

Thankfully, they don't have to wait on Gabe to answer. Liam already knows. "He's on the lacrosse team. He's just a freshman." As he ponders the day that they'd found him after discovering the faceless, skinless, dead body in the locker room, Liam adds, "Aaron didn't want to find more of us. He wanted to find his other half." Theo nods, "He's the Anuk-Ite."

As he and Liam then leave Gabe, after giving him a swift punch to the face to knock him out, Theo glances over at Liam. "By the way… Scott also mentioned that he was going to try and see if another pack would be willing to help them. Some pack call 'The Primal'." Liam sighs, "Yeah… I remember him mentioning them once. God… that just proves how desperate we are."

Theo nods, but then asks, "Aren't we though? I mean… aren't we desperate? Shouldn't we be looking for all the help we can get? I mean, we need everyone, don't we?" Liam glances over at him, and says, "Maybe. But what we really need right now, is Nixie. Tell me more about her. What exactly did Scott say?"

Sighing, Theo says, "Jordan arrived and apparently was able to make it possible for them to get a blood transfusion going for Nixie. With that, she's not going to die of blood loss. But they have no way of safely getting the bullet out of her head. They don't have the tools or equipment for that. And if they can't get it out…"

Liam pauses when Theo stops talking, worry working its way through his system as he waits to hear what might happen to Nixie. The chimera sighs and says, "Scott said Deaton was worried about loss of brain function. If she's stays comatose for too long… there's no telling what exactly might happen to her and her mind. They need to get the bullet out, so she can start healing internally."

They continue walking again, but then Liam pauses once more. Theo turns to look at him and says, "I get that you're worried, but we need to find Scott. We need to show him these bodies, and we need to tell him about Aaron. Now, rather than later." "No… I know that. I just…"

Theo watches as Liam's brain races in circles. Then finally, Liam looks up and says, "Deaton's not a real doctor. I mean… he's a vet, and he can help bandage up and sometimes heal supernatural creatures. But he's not a real doctor. Not the kind who has access to the equipment needed to do brain surgery or anything like that." Theo nods, "Yeah. So?"

Nodding to himself, Liam says, "I know someone who is." Throwing up his hands, Theo says, "Great! Who?"

And then Liam gulps a bit when he says, "My dad."

* * *

It's very apparent to them all that they need to find this other half of the Anuk-Ite. They need to find Aaron too. They need to find them, and stop them from merging. Everyone can agree on that.

But the other thing they can all agree on, is that they need to find a way to get the bullet out of Nixie's head. Which is why Scott agrees to go with Liam, accompanied by Noah and Lydia, to talk to Dr. Geyer.

Yes, his real last name is Dr. Geyer. Though, anytime Nixie has been in the hospital and addressed him as Dr. Dunbar, he's known who she was talking to. David, which was his first name, honestly found it endearing to hear her call him Dr. Dunbar. He went by Dr. Geyer because that was the name hospitals knew him by. There was a reputation attached to that name that helped him get through a lot of doors. It's what helped him land a job here in Beacon Hills so quickly, when Liam had to be transferred.

Nixie had already explained in the past that she liked the name Dunbar better. She associated it more with Liam, and she liked Liam.

Liam also knows the only reason she still calls him by his last name, is because he's a doctor. And because he's still on the outside of all the information about them. When Liam ever decided to bring him in, Nixie promised to start using his first name. It wouldn't seem weird to him then, because they could better explain her policy on using first and last names.

Bottom line, Nixie did trust David. That was enough for Scott and Liam to take a chance, and give him a rundown on what was going on in this town. Not that they had much choice anyway. If they wanted to save Nixie, if they wanted her to wake up, then they were going to need some sort of professional doctor to help her. David was really their only option.

Which is why they're sitting here, in his office, glowing their eyes, showing their claws and fangs, and telling him about where this all started, and how long it had been happening.

Needless to say, when David finds out his son has been a werewolf for two years without his knowledge… he's a bit thrown. Not to mention the fact that there were werewolves in the world at all. Strange things were being said and done in this town, but David had still preferred to believe only what he'd seen with his own eyes up to this point. Even though last school year, he had briefly confronted Melissa about the fact that he was very much aware that she knew certain things about this town that other didn't. She was a nurse who flinched at nothing, seemed surprised by little, and somehow always had answers before anyone else did.

At the time, she'd simply told him that there was nothing she could tell him to help him save Noah's life, which had been the situation in which he'd confronted her. But now that he was seeing all of this… well, it wasn't hard to figure out why Melissa wouldn't flinch at anything coming into their hospital. She'd seen things a hundred times worse than what most of them ever saw in their entire lives.

And she still loved her son. She still thought he was one of the best people in the entire world. And she loved Nixie. And she loved Liam; David did know that much.

Liam's head has remained bowed this entire time. He only raised his eyes to show that they glowed a bright gold, and then looked to the floor again. He tried to focus on Nixie, on the things she would say or whisper to him to calm him down. He tried to focus on his mantra, to keep it together.

He needed Nixie to hug him. If she could just do that, he'd feel better. And he knows that's a bit selfish on his part. But that's what he feels he needs right now. Just a cool hug from her.

The hug he receives isn't cool. It's not Nixie, with her way of somehow lifting all the weight from your shoulders for a while. But it is his father, who has moved around from his desk and is kneeling in front of his son. Wrapping his arms around Liam, David says, "How could you not tell me?"

Taking in a gasping breath, Liam says, "I… I'd already done so much… so much to disappoint you. I… I didn't want…" David squeezes him tighter, and then says, "Liam… you have never disappointed me. You always try your hardest. And even when you tore apart your old coach's car… I know part of you really wanted to hurt the coach himself, and maybe the entire team."

Leaning back to look in his son's face, David continues. "And now… now you're a werewolf. A creature with even more aggression and issues with anger. And you… you've been doing so well. Liam… I have never been more proud of you. You're my son. I love you. Unconditionally. Don't ever forget that."

Scott allows them both to sit there for a moment, holding each other and basking in each other's comfort. Then he clears his throat, and says, "I'm sorry. I know this is a lot to take in. But… we're short on time." Liam nods, and then says, "Dad… we need your help."

Leaning back again, David simply opens up his hands and says, "Tell me what you need me to do."

* * *

When Officer Blakely arrived at the clinic, Jordan's first reaction was to heat up more and snarl. Anyone that wasn't pack should not be here, and if they were, they meant Nixie harm. That was his instinctual thought.

But then Naomi and Noah appeared behind her, they explained that, aside from Jordan himself, Blakely was an officer that Nixie had always favored. And together, they would be sneaking Nixie into the basement level of the hospital, where David was helping to prepare an operating room for her.

When they all finally arrived, David honestly wasn't sure how this was going to go. No one was willing to leave the room after they transferred Nixie onto his operating table. Not only was he not used to having this many people in the room all at once, but he wasn't used to this many family members being in the room during an operation. And in any normal situation, they would have to be removed. They were liable to act rashly, or second guess his every move.

But this wasn't a normal family. This was a pack. As soon as Nixie was on the table, the only person that remained next to her was Jordan himself. He kept his hands on her, kept pushing his heat to surround her. Deaton explained that it was the only way any of David's instruments would be able to penetrate her skin. Nixie's body hardened itself and went into self-preservation mode if Jordan wasn't there.

David also needed an extra set of hands to hand him his instruments and tools. Grams offered that service. Everyone else remained at the back walls of the room, watching and waiting with baited breath.

As David put his scope into the entry hole, he couldn't help widening his eyes at what he saw on the screen. "Wow." Jordan glances between him and the screen, and then asks, "What?" David shakes himself, "I… sorry. I've just… never seen anything like it." "What is it? What's wrong with her?" "Nothing. That's what's so shocking."

When everyone in the room looks at him in confusion, David continues. "The bullet is right at the edge of her brain. It's… It's basically just sitting there in the soft tissue. But it's not going any further. It's more denting in her brain at the moment. But… I mean, nothing it torn or missing. Nothing is out of place. The bullet it just… there, along with everything else at the moment."

Shaking his head, he adds, "It should've torn through and ended up in the center of her brain, judging from the angle." Deaton watches as he takes another small probe from Grams, and then he asks, "What is that?" David holds it up briefly, and then says, "It's what I'm going to use to grab the bullet. It's not fragmented or shattered. Looking like it's the only foreign thing in her body. And if she heals like you say she does, I should just be able to pull it out, and everything will right itself."

So, with great care, he reaches in, grips the foreign object with his tool, and then slowly brings it back out.

While he works on that, Marcus moves forward to join his brother at the table. Glancing between Jordan and Nixie, he asks, "How fast will she heal?" Jordan sighs, "Internally, she's always healed quickly. Broken bones are healed within an hour or less. Poisons are expunged and I'm assuming her brain will be the same."

Looking to the open wound on the side of her head, Jordan says, "Externally, she always heals slowly. As a dragon, her body does that on purpose so scars have time to form and remain. Dragons wear their scars with pride."

Marcus nods, and then says, "Which explains the outfit." Jordan gives his brother a look, but Marcus just grins, which tells Jordan he was only joking. Sighing, Jordan says, "I just need her to wake up." "She will." "And how would you know that?" "Because she loves you. All of you."

Glancing around the room, Marcus adds, "And it doesn't look like you all would survive losing her. Somewhere inside, she knows that. She'll wake up."

David finally pulls out the object… and then can't help staring at it as he drops it into a glass beaker. Because it wasn't the bullet itself.

Jordan stares too, along with everyone else, as they see two blue scales that seem to be wrapped tightly around something together. David quickly pulls out his scope, and puts three stitches over the wound at her temple. Then has Liam turn all the lights back on, and says, "Alright. Now… I guess we just wait to see if she wakes up soon. I wouldn't recommend moving her yet."

While everyone continues to wait with baited breath, David takes the two scales over to another table. Taking a few tools to them, he manages to pry them apart, opening them up to reveal what's inside.

Scott joins him when he says, "Wow." And as some of the others gather around him, they can't all help but stare.

The scales hadn't appeared on Nixie's skin in time to stop the bullet from penetrating. But… apparently, they had hardened quickly enough to catch the bullet, and make themselves a protective barrier around it as it barreled further into her skull. And the bullet itself, at some point, had actually shattered inside of the two scales. It sat in about five pieces of shrapnel… all of which had been contained by the scales that had wrapped around it.

Deaton comes over and says, "I'm not sure what to make of that. While they've been beneath the surface, her scales have never been an obstacle. Even when we were trying to give her the infusion earlier, her scales actually pushed up to the surface to stop us."

David nods, but then says, "If I may… I have a thought on that. From what you've all told me, her scales are always there. They just hide beneath the surface of her skin. But that doesn't mean that while they're there, they have to be useless. Obviously, they go soft when beneath the skin. Otherwise, you'd never be able to stick her with any kind of needle. She'd be forever indestructible. Her scars wouldn't even exist, because nothing would be able to hurt her."

Back to the bullet, David continues. "I think… you say her protective instincts always come first. That's what you guys keep telling me. You always come first, and then she can take care of herself. But… even a protective creature like that has some personal self-preservation instincts that can't be fought against." Gesturing to the scales, he says, "I think Nixie's scales are hers. When her body realized she wasn't going to be fast enough to bring them to the surface, instinct and survival kicked in, and they hardened beneath the surface to try and save whatever it could."

And then everyone in the room jumps when Nixie's voice croaks, "Good to know I'm not completely suicidal."

Looking up into Jordan's face, which has fresh tears streaming down his cheeks, Nixie reaches up to brush some of them away. Pulling him closer, she implores, "I didn't do it on purpose. I… we didn't know…" Jordan just nods, "I know. Lydia told me. I know." Kissing her forehead, he sighs and says, "Thank God. Thank you. Oh… please don't ever do this to me again." Nixie smiles tiredly, and then says, "I'll do my best."

As he helps her sit up, she looks down at her stomach, which is still covered in scales. Snapping her eyes to Grams, she asks, "The baby?" "Fine, child. She's just fine." Nixie's eyes widen, "Do we actually know it's a girl now?" Deaton chuckles, "No, my dear. We're just placating you."

Nixie nods, and then sighs before asking, "Melissa?"

Marcus frowns, because Melissa obviously wasn't here. But then Scott runs forward to meet Nixie's eyes. Nodding, he says, "She's fine. She got nicked, but she'd going to be fine." Nixie nods, "Rafe?" "Also fine." "Mason?" "Fine." "Lydia?"

Stepping up behind Nixie, wrapping her arms around her, Lydia says, "I'm perfect. Thanks to you." Nixie sighs in relief, and then asks, "Chris?" Scott nods that he's fine too, and then Nixie spots, Malia on the other side of the room.

Taking that into account, Nixie then glares and asks, "Who did it?" Scott shakes his head, "We don't know. We're trying to work on it. But we don't know yet." Nodding, Nixie asks, "What happened?" "A lot."

While David comes back to work on ensuring the stitches over the small hole in her head are good and won't tear, everyone else fills her in on what she missed. Noah's not sheriff anymore. The Primal pack looks to all be dead. Aaron is the Anuk-Ite, and he's searching for his other half. Peter has finally agreed to help them, but Deucalion is only offering guidance. And Scott is running out of ideas on who to call to try and form his army.

Nixie tilts her head, "What about Satomi, and everyone else at the shack and Kevin's restaurant." Scott nods, "I know… but there's still only thirty-five of them right now. Gerard has an entire town. I was hoping to find at least a few more people to help lead this thing before trying to involve them."

They stare at each other for a moment, and then Nixie nods before asking, "Where's my phone?" Grams hands it to her, and as she hops off the table, Veronica asks, "What are you doing?"

And everyone can't help grinning when Nixie says, "I'm calling Deucalion so I can ask what the hell his problem is. We're in a fucking war for the entire supernatural community, as a whole. He doesn't get to just sit on the side lines and spit out words of wisdom. I mean, come on! Let's be real people! Please."

As she gets on the phone, while also offering out hugs to everyone in the room that has been eagerly awaiting for her to be fine again, Nixie then also asks, "By the way, what's David doing here? I mean, he obviously got the bullet out and stitched me up, and that's awesome. But when did it become okay for him to be here?" Liam briefly explains that his dad is now in the know, and part of the pack. Nixie stares for a moment, and then smiles and says, "Great! In that case, explain to him that I will no longer be calling him Dr. Dunbar. And also, make sure he has my number, and that he knows the rules. And that if he doesn't abide by those rules, I will, without fail, smack him upside the head. Hard."

As she goes back to pacing, David looks down at his son and asks, "Is she always… well… always like this?" Liam grins, "Oh, dad. You have absolutely no idea."

* * *

All Jordan wanted to do was take her home. Being comatose was no picnic. She was tired, he knew she had to be.

But there were things she was determined to get done first. One being to reassure her mother that she and the baby were fine. So, they ate dinner at Noah's house for the evening.

Jordan doesn't miss how Nixie's eyes narrow suspiciously for a moment as Naomi squeezes Noah's shoulders gently from behind when he tells them about his day at the office. She wasn't sure what she was seeing quite yet… but there was an intimacy growing there. Nixie's not certain how to pinpoint it exactly.

But as they're driving down the road later, Nixie tells him, "At the very least, my mom and Noah are becoming fast and close friends. Which is great, because I really need them to get along. Otherwise, that would make for some rather awkward Christmases in our future."

Jordan chuckles, and then glances over at her and asks, "And how are you feeling about your mom finally knowing about all your scars?"

That had been the only part of dinner that neither of them had been particularly fond of. Not knowing when her daughter might have a chance for a peaceful meal around the table again, Naomi took the opportunity to ask about the scars, and where they'd all come from.

Nixie had honestly forgotten that her mom didn't actually know the stories behind them. She'd maybe seen some of them before… but she didn't know the stories. And even though it was just her mom, who would forever love her unconditionally; Nixie wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of having to retell them all again.

But, it is her mom. And if anyone had a right to know about them, it would be her. So she'd removed the shirt Jordan had given her to wear, and then allowed Jordan and Noah to delve into all she'd been through in the past.

The worrisome stories, the ones from back when she'd still been considered human, were the ones that had Naomi covering her mouth in horror. Particularly what Peter had done to her. Snapping her eyes up to her daughter, Naomi had asked, "And he's still around you guys? Living?"

Nixie had grinned and commented on the fact that leaving him alive wasn't her choice. Aside from Malia's connection to him, Peter still didn't have very many redeemable qualities. So it was really only for Malia's sake that Peter was left alive now.

Well… in Nixie's opinion. Scott would probably want him left alive anyway, simply because killing people shouldn't be the answer.

In any case, now Nixie sighs and says to Jordan, "I feel fine. Good, actually. I think it was good that we finally got around to explaining them to her. I think it helped to show her just how dangerous all of this really is that we're dealing with. Before, I don't think it had really set in yet. She still considered herself, from when she was broken, to be one of the most dangerous things I'd ever encountered. But now, she understands that she needs to be better prepared to participate in this world."

Raising an eyebrow, Jordan asks, "What makes you say that?" "I heard her asking Noah to show her how to shoot a gun, right before we pulled out the drive." They both chuckle a little, and then Jordan sighs before asking, "Are you sure you want to do this tonight?"

Giving him a look, Nixie says, "We don't have time to ask that question, babe. If it's something that needs to be done, then it needs to be done as soon as possible." Then, turning back to the windshield, Nixie adds, "Besides, Satomi needs to understand that my abilities aren't hers to dictate. She doesn't get to decide what pain is mine to take and what isn't. It's her pack, and she has some say as far as that goes. But at the bottom line, this is my power, and that means the final decision on what to do will be mine."

Jordan nods, and then asks, "Out of curiosity… would you have taken Jiang and Tierney's pain and injuries?" Nixie has to think about that for a moment, but then finally concedes, "No." "Why in particular?" "They didn't tell us the truth. They may not have lied, exactly. But they withheld vital information. And sure, maybe it wouldn't have really changed much in the end. Noah still wouldn't have handed Jiang and Tierney over in the first place. But we were working so hard to protect them… to save them. We deserved the truth."

She reaches over for Jordan's hand, and then asks, "Does that make me a bad person?" "No, Nix. It makes you a person with standards. Everyone knows that." Grinning, he adds, "And everyone that is yours strives to always meet those standards, one way or another. Having you around ensures that we'll always be surrounded by the most virtuous people known to man." "I don't know about that. Don't exaggerate." "At the very least, I can say that we will spend the rest of our lives trying to save the world. And everyone in our pack will be doing the same."

Giving Nixie's hand a squeeze, he adds, "Means our kid is going to have some of the best role models in the world to look up to."

Nixie smiles at that, and then says, "That brings to mind something else I wanted to talk to you about." "And what's that?" "Godparents." Jordan glances over at her, and then asks, "Is this because of what happened? Because I don't want you picking out Godparents because you think you're going to die soon."

Scooting over in the seat, resting her head on his shoulder, Nixie says, "No. And… yes. I mean… I have no intention of dying, Jordan. None whatsoever. But… I want to know that someone is going to be prepared and ready to take care of our kid, if something happens to both of us. I want to know that we've picked someone to take care of her, rather than have our friends and family fight over who we'd want to do that the most."

Jordan nods after a moment, and then asks, "So… Stiles and Lydia?" When Nixie's head jerks up in surprise, Jordan grins, "What?" "How did you know that's what I was going to say?" "Because Scott's the alpha. In a sense, it's already part of his job to take care of our little girl. As the alpha. So in that sense, you already have him. Stiles is your other brother, so you obviously want him to be able to take care of her. Passing on his sarcastic whit. And Lydia is your best friend. And she will ensure that our girl gets into whatever top ranking college she wants when she gets to that age."

Nixie stares at him, and then smiles, "I married a smart man." "Don't forget it." Rolling her eyes, Nixie adds, "And I've rubbed off on him entirely too much. You're becoming a monster." "A monster who loves you." She grins at that, and then laughs when Jordan asks, "By the way, do we still need to refer to me in the third person now?" "Oh, shut up and drive." "Yes ma'am."

When they get to the restaurant, Nixie says, "Churchill." Winston almost immediately opens the door, and at the sight of her, he sighs and says, "Hey! She's alright!"

As she and Jordan step inside, they both blink in surprise when the entire place goes into a joyous uproar. Winston actually lifts her off her feet in a hug, spinning her around twice before sitting her back down. Staring at everyone, Nixie asks, "How did you guys even figure out I was hurt?"

Lori holds up her phone, "Liam texted me. I told everyone else. We've been worried sick." Nodding, Nixie says, "Well… I'm fine. Feeling stupid, more than anything else." When everyone gives her a confused look, she throws up her hands, "I've just spent the whole day lying on a table, being completely useless, when there is a war to prepare for, and an Anuk-Ite to stop! Ridiculous!"

Back to Lori, Nixie asks, "Where is Satomi?"

The alpha werewolf steps out from the kitchen and bows her head to Nixie in respect. Nixie bows back, and then says, "I need a word with you."

Stepping into the back together, Nixie then explains how she knows Jiang and Tierney had their skin carved and peeled off before she got to them. "Why didn't you tell me? I understand maybe why they didn't tell me. Last time we spoke, I wasn't all that pleased with them. But why didn't you?" "I did not want you to feel that they were your burden. What they did was disgraceful. They deserve no sympathy from you. And while you are tough and hard and brave, Nixie-son…, compassion is also one of your greatest assets."

Holding her head high, Satomi says, "They were not worthy of it, so I did not tell you." Nixie narrows her eyes briefly, but then sighs and says, "I get that they're your pack. And they are yours to punish, teach, and train as you see fit. But because I didn't already know that they were carved into, Scott and Malia almost died, because they thought hunters had managed to find them again, trap them, and hurt them. If I had known earlier, we could've known what the scent really was in the room, and avoided wasting a day trapped in an empty armory."

Silence reigns for a moment, and then Nixie stands up straight. Bowing her head to Satomi, she says, "I will respect whatever requests and wishes you have, concerning the well-being and upbringing of the members of your pack. But information like that, however unimportant it may see to you, is something you have to tell me. Otherwise, I am ill-prepared to protect my pack. And that simply won't do."

Jordan finds it fascinating that Satomi, a werewolf of significant age and wisdom, doesn't consider it demeaning to have such a conversation with Nixie. His young wife was obviously telling Satomi that she had acted in error, no matter how good her intentions may have been. And yet, Satomi didn't seem to be phased or upset. On the contrary, she seemed to be pleased that they were discussing their differing views on this point in a civilized manner.

Nixie was young. But she was far from inexperienced and naïve. Scott, Nixie, and his entire pack had faced more, handled more, and survived more in the past four or five years alone, then any other pack seemed to have dealt with in their entire lifespan.

Finally, Satomi nods back to Nixie and says, "I apologize that my actions negatively affected the health and well-being of your alpha and his friend. From now on, I will give you the information you seek. I would ask that, given such a situation as this, you allow me to advise you as to which of my wolves you may steal pain and injury from. There are some who need to learn certain things the hard way."

Nixie nods, and then says, "I reserve only the right to act without your permission, if someone is close to dying. Anything short of that, I leave to your discretion." "Thank you." "Likewise."

As they step back into the open, Satomi asks, "What of this upcoming battle? Scott has not asked us to partake yet. Does he plan to?" Nixie nods, but says, "He is hoping to find other help first. He feels you have all suffered enough, and does not want to ask you to risk more while we are still so greatly outnumbered."

Satomi nods, but says firmly, "We have already lost many to this war that is fast approaching. We are ready to fight back, Nixie-son. If you call, we will be there." "Thank you, Satomi."

Back in the truck, on the way back to their house, Nixie takes Jordan's hand in his. Squeezing tightly, she says, "You need to stay away from the station for a while." "I know." "And you need to keep your radio off." "I know." "And you may want to drive something else." "Nixie… I know."

Looking over at him, she says, "The only reason they didn't try harder to take down Noah, is because he's human. Well… and the fact that he's former army… but also because he's human. He might be on our side, but he is still human. You're not."

Jordan gives her hand a squeeze, and then says, "I know. And I'm not going anywhere, Nixie." As they pull into the garage, he parks and turns towards her. Cupping her face in his hand, he says, "You don't have to be scared." "Jordan, I'm always scared. And the world will wake up in an ice age, if they do something as stupid as kill you. And then I'll fly up into heaven, and beat the crap out of you for dying on me."

Grinning a little, Jordan says, "I have no intention of leaving you. I have no intention of letting them take me away from you. And even if they do manage to trap me in some ice box or something again, they wouldn't dare try to kill me right away." Nixie blinks, "And why is that?"

"Because even Gerard knows what a stupid idea it is to incur the wrath of the one, the only, Nixie Bennett Parrish."

She finally smiles back at him, and then sighs and says, "I'm tired. Which is ridiculous, since I've practically been asleep all day." "Your body's been still. Your mind was never truly at rest." Coming around to her side of the car, he picks her up out of the seat and says, "Come on. Let's get you into bed." "You shouldn't say such sweet things." "So you can sleep, Nixie. And for once, your pregnancy hormones are not going to sway me on this." "Challenge accepted." "Lord, help me."

* * *

Chapter 7! Yay! Hope you guys are relieved. I know a freaked at least a couple of you out with how that last chapter ended. Here's hoping this makes up for it. :)


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I maker her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 8: Episode 6x18

As they stand around in the clinic, listening to the message on the phone, Nixie tilts her head at the sound of the woman's voice. At the end, Theo turns to them and asks, "You guys pulled this off one of the bodies in the woods."

When Nixie doesn't look up at him immediately with a glare for simply speaking, he feels a tiny swell of pride wash over him. He was still far from being a trusted member of the pack, or a trusted person in general. But at least she wasn't simply glaring at him for the sake of it.

Liam was a huge part of that, and Theo reminds himself to not forget it. When it was explained as to how they'd managed to trick Gerard and most of his men to leave the compound and head to the zoo, Nixie had half a mind to punch Theo in the face herself. Repeatedly. Until all his facial bones were shattered.

But Liam caught the fist that instantly flew at Theo like a reflex, and he explained that they couldn't simply talk and snarl. They had to sound like they were actually fighting. They had to make it seem as though it was necessary to bring more than just two guys to come and get them. And then Liam explains how Theo had been helping him. He'd been working in his own way to help Liam keep a hold on his anger, and to hopefully not kill anyone that they didn't need to.

Certainly, Theo's method wasn't exactly what Scott or anyone else would've done. Maybe. But for Liam… it had worked.

Hence the five of them being here now, with Theo able to talk openly and not get shot down for simply opening his mouth.

Liam nods in answer to Theo's question, "Malia did." Scott nods too, "Yeah. There were six dead bodies. And one of them had no face."

As Theo comes closer, eager to get onto the part where they find the other half of the Anuk-Ite, Nixie focuses her attention on Mason. At the mention of the body having no face, fear shot through their young genius friend in a way she hadn't felt before. Mason was usually on board with everything that was happening. When they were facing the beast; when he was first brought into this world… Hell, Scott had looked at him the first time they met in amused confusion, because while everyone else was tired and didn't really want to be having their little meeting at the time, Mason had never been more thrilled in his whole life.

But right now… Nixie hasn't ever felt Mason experience this much fear before.

Theo briefly pauses, fearing that Nixie was glaring at him. But when he finds her eyes trained on Mason, he presses on, "Okay. So the one with no face. You think that's the woman on the phone?" Scott shrugs, because they really have no idea. But he answers anyway, "Maybe."

Mason shakes himself to the present, and then comments, "It's the same thing that happened to Aaron. It took over his body, basically stole his face and his DNA. So that means… whoever this woman is, she could be the other half of the Anuk-Ite." Nixie nods at that, and then points to Theo in agreement when he adds, "Which means she's just half of the problem. The other half we already know about, Aaron."

Liam answers back slowly, "Yeah… we, um… we don't know where he is though. I… I'm sorry, Nixie…" She lifts her gaze from where she'd been looking down at a spot on the floor, letting their options roll around in her brain. Upon finding everyone's eyes on her in surprise or confusion, she blinks and asks, "What?"

Liam points at her hand, which is still pointed at Theo, and then asks, "Why are you pointing at him?" "Because I agree with him that this mystery woman is only half the problem. Was that not obvious? Usually when I point, you guys already know that I'm simply agreeing with someone."

Scott raises an eyebrow, and then explains, "Yeah… but its Theo." Then he looks to Theo and says, "No offense." Theo shrugs and says, "I was confused too."

Nixie rolls her eyes, and then says pointedly to Scott, "Worth noting, I have more of a problem with Peter Hale, than I have with Theo Raeken." At Scott's surprised look, Nixie asks, "What?! Theo's been getting better. That's not a secret, I have told this to everyone. Am I ready to trust him yet? Hell no. Will I agree with him when he actually makes a valid point? Yes. Now, let's everyone get back on track. We have a million and ninety-nine problems to deal with, but my opinion on the chimera in the room is not one of them right now. Focus."

Everyone nods, and then Theo asks, "So… okay, yeah. So, aren't we supposed to keep both halves apart? I mean… if we know about one half, then let's just go for that one. That's Aaron." Mason glances over at Nixie, and then says, "Well… I'm not agreeing with Theo. But I do think it'd be easier to track down Aaron over a voice on a phone."

Liam gives him a look, "That's agreeing with Theo." "Yeah. But… I thought I'd try to soften the blow a bit." Theo rolls his eyes, but then looks to Nixie and raises an eyebrow, obviously asking why she didn't do the same. She simply raises one back and says, "I don't pull my punches. I'm a blunt creature. Deal with it."

Sighing, he asks, "Is everyone just completely shocked that I might actually be right?" Nixie nods, but Liam answers, "No, we just don't like it." Scott grins at Nixie when she lifts her head at Liam's statement. Then she rolls her eyes, "I said I'd agree with him when he actually made a valid point. Thereby implying that I don't exactly expect him to make very many. Just… stay on task. What's our plan?"

Scott ponders a moment, and then smiles at her and says, "Offense and defense." Grinning, Nixie says, "I've trained you so well." Theo looks between all of them, and then asks, "Okay, I'm sorry. But what does offense and defense mean?" Turning to the others, Scott says, "It means, maybe we're all right. Maybe we should be looking for both. Aaron and the woman on the phone."

Back to Nixie, he says, "Institute both plans. Hopefully, we divide and conquer." Nixie nods in agreement, but then snaps her head up straighter when Scott suggests, "And, since the two of you agree…"

Mason blinks, but then asks, "Wait. You mean me and…" And Theo, more out of shock than not wanting to, asks, "Him?" Scott nods, "Yeah. You two work on finding Aaron. Liam, Nixie and I will try to figure out whose voice is on the phone."

And now Nixie was looking at Theo with narrowed eyes. Great.

Liam pats the phone in his hand and says, "If we find either half, maybe we don't have to fight at all. Stop the Anuk-Ite…" Scott nods, "And we stop the war."

Mason finally nods. More because it's a good plan than because he's actually okay with being left alone with Theo. He's about to simply turn and suggest where they start looking.

Before he can though, Nixie is in front of him. Wrapping her arms around him, she settles her head on his chest and holds him tight. The fear that he'd felt bearing down on him moments before, suddenly lifted. Sighing in relief, he wraps his arms around her in return, settling his cheek on top of her head.

Theo watches them for a moment, kind of envying the relief he sees spread over Mason's entire body as Nixie blankets him in her comfort. Then she leans back and says, "Call me. For anything."

And then Theo nearly jumps out of his skin when she approaches him. Holding out her hand, she stands there waiting. And when he doesn't do anything, she raises an eyebrow impatiently. Glancing over at Liam, Theo says, "Um… I have no idea what she wants."

Rolling her eyes, Nixie says, "Just give me your damn phone." He pulls it from his pocket and hands it over, watching as she enters her name and number into his contacts. She also sets herself as his number one speed dial. Handing it back to him, she then points her finger hard against his chest. With narrowed eyes, she explains, "You are still on thin ice. Skate-able thin ice. But thin, nonetheless. Meaning your 'I have Nixie's number privileges', still have limitations."

Pointing to Mason, she says, "If something happens to _him_ , you call me. If his phone is somehow destroyed so he wouldn't be able to call me, you give him yours, so he can if he needs to. And if he ends up dead, broken, hurt or injured in any way, and I decide it could've been prevented if you'd just called me…"

Theo nods and finishes for her, "Back in the ground. Got it." He ducks his head down, trying to hide the slight disappointment he felt in only having her number for the sole purpose of protecting Mason, not because he'd really earned it yet.

A shock runs through his entire system when Nixie gently… gently, mind you… grips his chin and forces his head back up to look at her. And though her eyes told him she was still serious, her tone of voice was gentle, even as she said, "No. Not back in the ground. But I will break you into a million pieces. Repeatedly. Possibly for an entire week. Kind of depends on how hurt Mason ends up in this scenario."

And then even her eyes soften as she says, "But no. Not back in the ground."

Then she swiftly pulls away, putting herself in front of Mason again. She grips his chin and meets his eyes in a stern, but loving sort of way. She doesn't say anything. She doesn't gesture or do anything significant that Theo can see. She just stares at him.

In spite of Theo not understanding it though, Mason smiles a bit and nods before answering, "I got it, Nix. Promise." "That's my boy. Be safe. Don't die. Or I'll hurt you." "Yes ma'am."

As she, Scott and Liam head out on their own mission, Scott comments, "You know what I just realized? You never tell anyone not to call you 'ma'am' anymore. You used to hate it, and now…" Nixie rolls her eyes, "I still hate it. But I've decided that this particular aspect is something I'm never going to work out of you people. So I've given up trying. Call me what you will. So long as you actually listen and do what I say, I no longer care."

And then he and Liam both laugh when she adds, "Unless you're going to start calling me 'compact ninja'. Then we're going to have serious problems. Monumental, concussion rendering, problems."

* * *

Nixie was fully and totally prepared to help Liam and Scott track down the female half of the Anuk-Ite. Completely prepared.

But when Malia called to inform her that Lydia was going to be attempting to contact a supposedly dead hellhound, trying to figure out how he'd led her to the second faceless body in the woods… well, Nixie wasn't about to let her do that alone. Halwyn might not me a bad guy, per say. But he was a hellhound with one mission, one purpose, and one life's goal. And if, even for a second, he woke up and thought Lydia was in his way…

Yeah, Nixie wasn't about to let him hurt her best friend. And Scott didn't have a problem with it. He and Liam would work on figuring out who the woman on the phone was, and they'd text her when they had more answers.

Which is why Nixie is standing here now, on the other side of the morgue table. Malia is on the left, and Lydia…

Well, Lydia was laying down on the morgue table. Halwyn's drawer that he was in was pulled out, and his head was right behind hers.

Nixie's honestly not sure how Lydia thinks this is going to let her communicate with him. But, Lydia was the banshee. If anyone was going to have an idea about how to talk to a mostly dead hellhound, it would be her.

Malia is crouched down on her side, trying to make herself kind of invisible. Which might've honestly worked, if every few minutes she didn't lift her head up again and ask, "Anything yet?"

Lydia opens her eyes, "As opposed to when you asked me three minutes ago? No." Sighing, Lydia begins to sit up, taking Nixie's hand when she offers it. Looking up at her, Lydia says, "It's not working." Nixie shrugs, "Alright. Then let's try something else." "What if I'm wrong? What if I can't?"

Nixie just grins, "See, this is really why you wanted me here, isn't it? To remind you that, while we have on occasion misinterpreted the things you do, you have yet to actually be wrong." Helping Lydia off the table, she adds, "This is just… another misinterpretation. So laying on the table with your head only two inches away from his wasn't the way to try talking to him. This just means we have to think up something else to try."

Malia jumps up and suggests, "Maybe you need to touch him." Lydia scoffs, "That's ridiculous. There's no way…" Nixie has to hold a hand over her mouth to hide her laugh as Malia simply takes Lydia's hand and places it on Halwyn's body. Looking to Lydia face quizzically, she asks, "Anything?"

Sighing, Lydia says, "Nothing." Malia simply moves her hand to a new spot on Halwyn's chest. "Now?" "Nope." And then Malia moves Lydia's hand to his face, "Now?" "Okay, stop."

Malia ponders a moment, and then gingerly places her hands on Halwyn's head. Turning it to the side, exposing the back of his neck, she cringes at the idea, but holds out her claws and says, "I could try it."

Nixie's honestly impressed that Malia is willing to try doing the mind-melding thing herself. But she nods in agreement with Lydia when the banshee says, "You could damage his brain. Maybe even more than the bullet already has." Sighing, Malia moves his head back into place, and then walks to the other side of the room.

Nixie runs a comforting hand up and down Lydia's back, and then asks, "Do you remember how it worked last time?" "Not really. I was unconscious in the hospital bed." Nodding, Nixie ponders that a moment, and then glances around the room.

Of course, the first thing Malia sees is a tiny mallet. Smiling wide, she exclaims, "Okay! We can work with that!" Picking it up and tapping it against the metal table, letting a chiming ring sound through the air, she frowns when Lydia says, "No." "Come on! It'll be quick." "Nope. No way." "But you do want us to knock you out, right?"

Nixie grins at Malia, but then clarifies, "Render unconscious." Lydia nods and adds, "Preferably without pain." Nixie then suggests, "I could always choke you out."

When Lydia looks at her like she's lost her mind, Nixie laughs, "I was joking! Geez. But seriously, unless we want to call David down here, and try to explain what we're doing, we're going to have to think of something besides trying to put you under anesthesia. I'm going to study to be a nurse, but I'm not that far along yet. I'd be more likely to somehow give you an overdose of something."

Sighing, Lydia moves back to Halwyn's body as she tries to think. Malia moves up to Nixie and opens her mouth, probably about to suggest that they should just knock Lydia out when she isn't looking. But Nixie just gives Malia a look, and then holds up a hand for patience. Lydia was working on it. They just needed to give her a minute.

Finally, Lydia turns back to them. "Okay, this is what we're gonna do. You're going to press against my chest hard, constricting the flow of blood and oxygen to my brain. It'll drop my blood pressure, and render me unconscious."

At Nixie's disapproving look, Lydia says, "It's no more dangerous than you suggesting you choke me out." "Maybe. Except I was, for once, being completely unserious. And you are, at this moment, very serious about this." Malia glances at Nixie, and then adds in, "Based on the look Nixie's giving you, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess this isn't safe." Lydia nods, "Oh, it's extremely dangerous." "Are you sure?"

Taking a breath to steady herself, she says, "No. But let's go." Malia glances at Nixie, but upon seeing that there was no way their dragon was going to do it, she moves forward to do it herself. For a brief moment, terror swells up in Lydia's chest, tears welling in her eyes at what they're about to do.

"Wait." Malia pauses, and then moves back a step as Nixie finally moves over to Lydia. Pulling Lydia off the wall of drawers, Nixie puts her back to it, and then pulls Lydia to be pressed against her chest. She hardens her scales so that she's just as hard of a surface as the wall had been behind her, but wraps her arms around Lydia. "Alright. Go Malia."

And in Lydia's ear, she says gently, "Don't worry. I've got you. You aren't going to die. You aren't going to fall. You're just going to relax, and have a short conversation with Halwyn. That's all. I've got you. Understand?"

Lydia nods, and then gasps as Malia pushes and cuts off her airway and blood flow. Instincts force her to reach up and grip Malia's hands, trying to shove her off. But finally, after a few more seconds, Lydia's eyes roll into the back of her head, and she slumps into unconsciousness.

Nixie carefully lowers so she's sitting on the floor, Malia helping to straighten out Lydia's legs so she's still sitting in what they hope is a comfortable position. Pulling Lydia's head to rest on her shoulder, Nixie sighs and then looks up as Malia asks, "Now what?"

"Now we wait. And we pray that this was worth it."

* * *

It took about fifteen minutes. The longest fifteen minutes that Nixie has ever sat through in history. But only fifteen minutes.

And then Lydia sprang back to life with a gasp. Eyes wide, she shouts, "He's not dead!"

As she struggles to her feet and her legs nearly fall out from under her, she feels Nixie's arm tighten around her waist. Pulling her up straight, Nixie grips her arms to keep her steady, and then asks, "What do you mean?" "Halwyn. He's not dead."

Looking down at the hellhound with a hole still gaping in his forehead, she adds, "And I think I know how to save him."

Silence for a moment, and then Nixie nods and says, "Alright. That's a start. How?" Turning to face Nixie, Lydia says, "We need access to the MRI machine."

Nixie blinks, but then says, "Alright. I guess we're calling David after all." Lydia watches as Nixie pulls out her phone, and then says, "Nix… I mean, we don't have to bother him. I know you wanted to give him time, to adjust to knowing all of this. Maybe we can…" Nixie laughs and says, "Lydia, I love you to death. But unless you know about some secret passageways that no one else, not even the doctors know about, there is no way in hell we're sneaking a nearly dead hellhound into the MRI room, without someone noticing."

Hitting call on David's number, she adds, "And if someone has to notice, I'd rather it be someone who already knows that we have our reasons for trying out crazy shit that makes sense to no one but us. Hey David! Remember when I told you that there would end up being plenty of times in the future when I'd call for help, and I'd need you to just roll with it without too much of an explanation? Yeah, well, we've come upon one of those times. We're in the morgue."

A pause, and then Nixie answers, "Yeah, your morgue. … No, I'm not telling you how we got in here. I've never even told Melissa how I keep ending up getting in here. Now, if you could please come down and escort us up to one of your MRI machines, we'd appreciate it greatly."

Another pause, and then Nixie says, "Yes, the fate of everyone we know and hold dear could very well be tied in with this experiment. So… please?"

Lydia and Malia wait with bated breath, and then Nixie hangs up and says, "Ten minutes. He's bringing down some scrubs and masks too, so we'll blend in better."

The other two sigh in relief, and then grin when Nixie says, "I really like him. I ask him for an MRI, and he brings in scrubs, a gurney, and he even offered to give me the link to a manual on how to operate it. Lydia, wipe the smirk off your face and punch this into your phone. As you're the genius, you're the one who will be reading while we wait. Hurry up. This is crunch time people. Move."

* * *

As Lydia boots up the machine, Nixie watches the doorway to make sure no one is coming. David moves to stand beside her and says, "I booked it for about an hour. We should be safe." "I know. And I appreciate you doing that for us. But our entire town is in the midst of plunging into an all-out war. So, unless I'm needed in the room, I will be here, guarding the door."

Nodding, David glances back at Lydia and Malia. When they'd first walked down the hall and into the room, the two had been constantly looking over their shoulders, as though expecting someone to appear behind them. But, now that Nixie was on door duty, they were completely relaxed.

Back to David, he asks, "Why are they so confident that they're safe now?" "Because I'm here. And anyone that wants to get to them, will have to somehow get through me first. As that is never going to happen, they know they have no reason to worry."

Shaking her head, she says, "That's what makes this whole thing so sad." "What do you mean?" "I mean Monroe and Gerard. They actually think they can win. Gerard, because he's a psychotic loon. And Monroe… because she thinks that Gerard is a man who won't stop, and that's how he'll win."

Nixie turns her eyes to David. "People who operate on hate… they only care about one thing. Themselves. Apart from that, they don't care about anything else. They don't care about the people around them. They don't care about who gets hurt, or who they have to run over in order to get what they want. And because of that, they have nothing to lose, except the goal they're trying to achieve. That's it. They are fighting for one thing, and one thing only."

Glancing back at her friends, Nixie says, "We operate out of love. Everything we've ever done, is about protecting the people who matter to us. Now Scott… he wants to save everyone. A noble and virtuous goal, which is what makes him a true alpha."

Looking at David again, Nixie shrugs, "I have a slightly smaller focus… though with Scott it expands all the time. But these guys, my pack… I would move mountains to see them kept safe and unharmed. And back when I was still human, that used to be harder, and they still all felt safer whenever I was in the room. Now I'm practically indestructible. Well… when I'm fast enough to prevent bullets from crashing into my skull."

David grins, and Nixie grins back before saying, "I'm fighting for so much more than myself. I'm fighting for my family, for my pack. Which means that in this fight, I have everything to lose. Not just one thing. Everything."

Looking out the doorway once more, Nixie adds, "And that is why I will always win in the end. Because losing is not an option. People that matter to me die if I lose, and that is unacceptable."

David stares down at her for a moment. Then he just smiles softly and says, "You seem much more mature than your age would suggest. Do you know that?" "Yeah, well, don't let it fool you. When we don't happen to feel like the world is imploding all around us, I'm a total goofball. Complete with an unhealthy obsession with Clint Eastwood movies, and perfecting my skills of being able to pick every lock known to man."

He just chuckles at her, and then they both turn when Lydia says, "See that? See that image artifacting?" David nods that he'll watch the door, and Nixie smiles before moving to join Lydia at the screens. Nodding, she asks, "What are we looking at Lydia?" Lydia points to the region she was referring to again, and then says, "This means that the bullet is ferromagnetic. Probably steel. It'll react in the MRI."

Malia is about to ask how, except Nixie stands up straight again and says, "Right. If we increase the magnet's power…" Lydia nods, "Then the machine will pull it right out."

Turning to Malia, Lydia asks, "Ready? It… could get messy." Malia raises an eyebrow, and then looks over at Nixie. "Why is she asking me? I used to literally live in the woods as a coyote. I've seen messy. Shouldn't she be asking you?" Nixie shrugs, but then says, "In my own opinion, I'm kind of a walking, talking, hot mess myself. This will just be more of the same. So I'm good."

Lydia laughs and Malia just rolls her eyes before saying, "Whatever. Just go for it." Lydia nods, and then reaches forward, preparing to press the button. But before she does, she leans closer to get a better look at the screen.

Leaning back and slumping down a bit in the seat, she says sadly, "We can't do this." Nixie looks over her shoulder, trying to see what she sees. But Malia just straight up asks, "What are you talking about?" Lydia sighs, "The bullet. It's not just steel."

Seeing what she's talking about, Nixie clicks on a button to make one of the images enlarge. Cursing under her breath, she gestures to the fragmented parts of the bullet that are around the larger image. Lydia nods, and then explains to Malia, "See the fragments Nixie's pointing at? That's silver." Nixie nods, "The bullet must've been coated in it. That's what Chris told us about it anyway."

Malia looks between both of them, and then says, "I'm still not seeing the problem." Lydia sighs, "Silver won't react in the MRI." And Nixie adds, "We pull the bullet out, and he starts to heal." Malia tosses up her hands, "Healing's good, isn't it?"

Nixie sighs now, and explains, "Not when it's a hellhound beginning to heal with shards of silver in his brain." Lydia nods, and when Malia still looks confused, she explains, "He'll heat up, Malia. And when he does, the silver is going to melt and seep right into his brain."

At the very least, Malia understands that having silver melted into the brain couldn't be considered good. But she still asks, "So… what's a little silver going to do to his brain?" Lydia says automatically, "Argyria." When she stops after that, Malia looks to Nixie for more. The dragon just grins and adds, "Silver poisoning." Lydia nods, "And we have no way of getting it out."

Sighing herself, Malia says in understanding, "So if we take out the bullet, he dies again." Nixie nods, but then comments, "On the other hand… if we just leave all of that in there, he's never going to wake up anyway." Lydia gives her a look, to which Nixie shrugs, "What? I'm just saying."

As Malia moves to glance out the door, apparently not completely convinced David could hear everything he needed to, Nixie tilts her head at the doctor in the room.

David jumps a bit when Nixie takes his arm and gently pulls him over to the machine. Pointing to the fragments in the hellhound's head, she asks, "Is that something you could get out? If you operated?"

He blinks at her, but then looks back to the screen. Lydia and Nixie glance at each other, waiting with baited breath to hear what his answer might be. Finally, he sighs and says, "I mean… yes, I could. But it would take time. Time I'm not sure you have, based on how anxious you are." Nixie nods, "How much time?" David holds out open hands and says, "I have no way of really knowing. It could be less complicated than it looks on the screen, and take only an hour. Or it could be infinitely more complex than what we're seeing, and it could take up to twenty-four hours. I'd have to actually begin doing the surgery to have any idea of the timeframe we're looking at."

Lydia grits her teeth and says, "There has to be another way." Malia glances at them, and then back out the door for a second. Seeing that there's still no one there, she comes back and says, "Maybe, if we had more time, I'm sure you and Nixie could figure something out. But we don't."

Gesturing back through the door, Malia says, "Someone could come through that door any second now and bust us. And our last shot at figuring out how to beat the Anuk-Ite, might be lying on that table. So we need to make a decision right now."

Lydia glares at Malia, "You don't mean decide. You mean do it." Sighing, Malia admits, "Yeah. I think it's the right decision."

While Lydia and Malia keep arguing, even bringing Jordan's name into the mix… Nixie stares at the hellhound on the table. She glances at her friends when they mention that Jordan would sacrifice himself for everyone, if he were in this position. Nixie's not entirely sure that's true. If she were already dead, then maybe. But so long as she was alive, Jordan would do everything in his power to live right alongside her.

In any case, Nixie turns back to Halwyn, tilting her head curiously. Because like with most of her abilities and powers… she just has a feeling that there is something more to be done here. Something that maybe, she specifically, can do to prevent Halwyn from having to die, and yet still get the bullet out of his head so he can come back to consciousness.

She goes back over what little she does know about the hellhound. Which wasn't much. She'd glimpsed his aura in the hospital. He was as driven as they came. And he would want them to figure out how to beat the Anuk-Ite. Even at the expense of his life. Defeating that creature was the only thing he had lived so long for.

But surely, if he just completed his task… Halwyn could learn to live for more than that. As the hellhound, he was created and born to bring down the Anuk-Ite. But as the man who became him? There had to be more.

Nixie goes back over the fight in the school. Seeming so far away now, when really it had only been about a month and a half ago. How he'd knocked Jordan out cold. How he'd targeted Liam because he thought that Liam was the Anuk-Ite. How he'd reacted upon her arrival. How he'd reacted when he realized what kind of dragon she was. How his fire and flames dimmed in her…

Eyes snapping open wider, Nixie snaps her hand over Lydia's wrist. She'd been about one second away from cranking the magnetism on the MRI machine, and just ripping the bullet out of his head.

Lydia jerks in surprise at Nixie's sudden grip, and then looks to Malia. But the were-coyote just shrugs, not understanding why Nixie was stopping them now.

She gives it a moment more of thought, and then nods and says, "Yeah. I think… I think that might work." Blinking, Lydia asks, "What? What might work?" Turning to them, Nixie says, "I… Jordan is a hellhound mated to a blue dragon. He's fire, and I'm ice. And in a way, his fire has to burn hotter, so he actually can balance me out."

Nodding to Halwyn, Nixie says, "He can't do that. I saw it the night Liam and I fought him at the school. He can maybe light himself up for a moment or two, but if I push back, he can't stay hot. He can't burn hot enough to cancel me out. I can overpower him."

Eyes widening hopefully, Lydia says, "Which means you might be able to keep him cool enough to keep the silver from melting in his head. You might even be able to send him back into hibernation. At least until we can actually get him the surgery he'll need to survive this." Nodding, Nixie says, "It's worth a shot anyway."

Turning to David, Nixie asks, "How quickly can he have the surgery after we do this?" David moves away to check a computer on the side of the room. Nodding, he says, "There are two procedures scheduled, but they should be over within the next hour. After that, nothing major should be coming through today. If Deaton and Grams are here to assist, I should be able to do it then."

Lydia and Nixie beam at each other, and then Nixie gets on the phone with Grams while Lydia calls Deaton. As soon as it's assured that they're on their way, Nixie says, "Alright. So, I'm gonna be out there. And as soon as I hear the bullet rip out of him…"

She pauses for a moment to think, and then warns everyone, "You may just want to close the door for a bit. I'm gonna freeze the entire room, just to be safe."

As soon as she's out, Malia slams the door shut behind her. Nixie raises an eyebrow, but can't help grinning when Lydia smacks Malia on the back of the head. Moving to Halwyn's body, Nixie sighs as she looks down at his torn and wounded torso.

He might not consider her freezing him to be a favor when he first woke up. If he fought, she was going to have to hold on tight. But she could do that. At least long enough to figure out what they needed to know.

Placing her cold hands on his arm, she glances back into the control room, and nods for Lydia to do it. And as they turn up the machine, Nixie can hear the humming of the magnets within spinning faster to accommodate the level of power they were requesting.

At the first sign of heat, Nixie pressed harder against his skin. And when he grows hotter in response, her eyes light up as she pushes her cold to encompass the entire room.

David, from behind the glass, stares in awe at the snow and frost that begins swirling around inside with her. There was no logical reason behind it. No window to allow for the sudden change in the atmosphere. And yet, the entire room was becoming like an igloo, snow and ice taking over every surface.

Halwyn's roar in response to all of this is clearly enraged and confused. He obviously didn't understand what was happening. And as the bullet was finally yanked from his head, there was a brief moment when all the power in the room went out. No one could see anything.

But as it finally came back on, Lydia gasps while Malia hurriedly sprints to the door. Because Halwyn was up, and he was growling ferociously.

And Nixie was on his back. She had her arms locked around his chest, and her legs wrapped around his waist from behind. She looked like a monkey, whose hold refused to break. Halwyn was clawing and growling and trying to back into nearby walls to make her release, but she refused to budge.

Lydia knows getting rammed into the wall hurt… but at least Nixie's scales prevented Halwyn from actually cutting into her. The baby, on the other hand, did not need for Nixie's body to be thrown and shoved around in such a manner.

It takes Malia a minute to shove the door open. The ice that had formed on the other side had nearly sealed it shut. But when she does, Lydia runs out before her and shouts, "Stop!"

Unlike Jordan, Halwyn had no connection to Nixie. When he saw things, or when he sent messages of his own, he did not ever see the blue dragon. He only saw the banshee. So having Nixie on his back was no comfort, and feeling all this cold surrounding him was certainly not a good sign in his mind.

But at the banshee's plea, he stopped moving. Turning to her, he asks, "Where is it?" Then he glances towards his back, snarls, and adds, "And get her off of me."

Lydia shakes her head, "She's the only thing keeping you alive." Halwyn tilts his head, unsure if he believes that or not. But as Lydia explains about the silver in his head, he tries to take into account what they were trying to do for him.

Nixie jerks when she feels his hands grip her thighs. Hoisting her up higher, trying to help her find a more comfortable position, he says, "Thank you, blue dragon." "My name is Nixie. Learn it, use it, and don't kid yourself. I'm still going to kick your ass when this is all over."

Lydia worries for a minute that Halwyn might be offended. But the hellhound actually grins slightly in response. Then he asks again, "Where is it?" Huffing, Nixie says, "We don't fucking know. That's not the assignment we're on. Scott and the others are working on that. We're working on you."

When Halwyn looks confused again, Lydia explains, "You have to tell us how to kill it." Shaking his head, he says, "You can't kill it. You can't stop it." Malia points out, "You did." "I trapped it." "Okay! So, how do we?"

A pause, and then Halwyn says, "You plan to capture it without me, don't you." Nixie feels his heat spike at that, so she shoves more around him and into the room. Lydia, Malia, and David cringe and shiver, so Nixie takes her claws and digs them into Halwyn's shoulder.

Snarling at her, he then pauses when she hisses at him, "If my friends freeze to death because I have to turn this place into Antarctica to keep you alive, I'm going to kill you myself, before you ever have to worry about silver poisoning."

Releasing her claws from his body, she says, "You can't fight him right now. The minute we leave you alone. The minute I let you go, if you're still awake, you die. Now, if you get out of surgery, and we still haven't managed to capture or kill the damn thing? Then you can help us out. But until then, you're just going to have to trust us."

Halwyn glances at her and says, "I do not know your pack." "But you do know what I am." She shines her eyes brightly at him, and says, "And you know how I became what I am. You know what that takes. I saw it in the look you gave me the night we fought. So even if you can't trust everyone else, you at least have to trust me. Otherwise, we're screwed."

They stare at each other for a moment. And then Halwyn says, "It can't be killed. You just have to keep it away from its other half. So long as it's separated, it is still weak." Wincing a bit, Halwyn then stares in awe when Nixie places her palm against his skin. As his headache eased, Nixie says to Lydia, "His head is killing him. We need to quicken this so he can go ahead and have the surgery." Lydia nods, and then asks, "Is there anything else we need to know? Anything else that will help us?"

Halwyn stares at her for a moment, and then says, "If… if the two become one. Do not look at it. Do not… it will kill you, with a look."

Nixie blinks in surprise at that, but then grips him tighter when Halwyn drops down to his knees. There was only so much of his pain that Nixie could take.

She'd honestly already tried to see if she could take the silver bits from him somehow… like she'd taken the poison from Brett's body. But apparently, this wasn't the same. Perhaps it had to do with the fact that Brett's poison had been in his bloodstream. The lines that formed when a werewolf took away pain, could possibly be a blue dragon's form of extracting liquid enemies from the people she cared about. But this… this wasn't liquid.

Well… if they let it melt it would be. But not even Nixie is willing to test the boundaries of her healing abilities right now. Better to leave it in the hellhound's head, and let David remove it all.

Moving so she's behind him, holding him up, she tilts his head so he'll look at her. Giving him a stern look, she says, "You're about to get very cold. And I need you not to fight it. You need to hibernate, until David can extract all the silver. Can you do that?"

He nods after a moment, and then reaches up. Tracing the side of her face with one hand, he says, "I never thought I'd live to see the day when a dragon returned to existence. I am honored."

Nixie stares at him for a moment, and then says gently, "Do me a favor. Don't die. You owe it to me to let me kick your ass for hurting Liam." He grins ever so slightly, and then closes his eyes, showing that he's ready.

Nixie motions for the other three to leave the room, and then shoves a huge blast of cold and ice outward from her body and onto his. She leaves the top of his head exposed, but the rest of him is coated over in a thick layer of ice. Hopefully, it'll last long enough to get him through the surgery.

She calls David back in and asks, "Can you work like this, or do you need more of his skull exposed?" Checking for a moment, David then nods, "This should work." "Good. Help me get him up."

They put him back on the gurney, and then they all help roll it down the hall and into the operation room that they'll be using. Deaton and Grams have already arrived, washed up, and are ready to go when they get in there. And as David prepares to scrub in, he glances at the three girls and says, "We've got it from here. You guys go. Check on the others. And… someone please let me know that my son is still okay."

Nixie salutes him, "Believe me, I'm all over that."

* * *

Before they even get halfway to the school though, Nixie's phone rings. Not recognizing the number, she frowns and asks, "Hello?" "Nixie!"

Jumping at the sound of Theo's voice, Nixie asks, "Theo? What's…" "I don't know! We found Aaron. This… this thing was making both me and Mason freak out. I… I nearly attacked him. But…" He takes a breath, and then says, "I don't know where he went. He impaled himself on my claws, and then took off." "So go after him." "I can't."

Nixie waits for more, and when Theo doesn't provide it, she explains, "This is the part where you offer more explanation, Theo. Because catching Aaron or his counterpart is of top priority. So what trumps that?" "Mason's hurt. And I… I can't fix him. I can't take his pain! I'm trying and I just fucking can't!"

Nixie raises an eyebrow at his language on that last part. But she can hear in his voice that he's not exaggerating his frustration. He really hates that he can't take Masons' pain away. Nodding to herself, Nixie then says, "Stay where you are. I'll find you."

Hanging up, she glances at Lydia in the driver's seat. Slipping off the scrub shirt that she'd had on, she tosses it back to Malia and says, "Yeah, I'm gonna have to go. Find Liam and Scott. Make sure they know not to look at the damn thing. And if either of you run into it, call me. Immediately. Sounds like Mason will live if I don't get to him right away, so I should be able to easily turn around."

Lydia nods, and then Nixie rolls down the window of the car. Lifting herself to sit on the edge of the window, her wings immerge into the breeze created by the car moving. Catching onto that wind, Nixie lets the draft pull her the rest of the way from the car, and then she shoots off into the air.

After that, when she gets to the tunnels and has to pull her wings back in, it takes her about ten minutes to find Theo and Mason. It would've taken five, but she took a right turn instead of a left, one too many times.

Sighing as she finally reaches them, she bends down to where Theo has Mason by the hand. He's still trying to take Mason's pain. Still trying to heal him what little he can. It just wasn't working.

Taking Mason's hand from Theo, she asks, "What happened?" Theo runs a hand through his hair and says, "We were… just walking down the tunnels. Looking for Aaron. And all of a sudden… there was this overwhelming sense of fear."

Gesturing to Mason, Theo explains, "He grew more frightened and distrustful of me by the minute. And I…" He pauses, and then says warily, "I… tried to attack him. I don't even really know why. But I did."

Nixie's eyes glow briefly, her overprotective instincts kicking in. The desire to punch Theo in the face was definitely a strong one. But, she pushes past that for a moment, taming the dragon within.

Lifting her gaze to Mason, she asks, "You alright?" He nods, and Theo looks up in surprise when he says, "It was because of the Anuk-Ite. And actually, it worked out for the best. I'm hurt, but because Theo was already heading towards me, he was able to shove me out of the way before Aaron could attack us." He shivers a bit, "I'd hate to think what might've happened if he'd actually hit me with the pipe."

Nixie syphons away his pain, and the injury on his back. He wasn't cut open, so there would be no new scar for her. But he was bruised a bit. Down to the bone, if Nixie's feeling it right. Taking all of that away, she smiles and says, "Nothing would've happened that I couldn't have fixed."

Releasing Mason's hand, she then turns to Theo. He watches her warily for a moment, but then drops his head and says, "I… Mason says I can't take pain if I don't care. I… But I…"

Both boys widen their eyes in surprise when Nixie hits not Theo, but Mason in the head. Lightly, nothing more than a gentle tap… but it is Mason she hits. At his confused expression, Nixie says, "Everyone has trouble taking pain when they've never done it before. To some, it comes naturally. For them, that desire to take away pain from everyone is ground in so deep that its second nature. That's why it's easy for Scott. That's why it's easy for me, and probably a part of why I could take away pain from afar when the ghost riders were here."

Shaking her head, she says, "But Malia struggles with this constantly. She only very recently took pain from Scott, with no one there to help her, and no one else there to add incentive. Liam can take pain now, but when he was brand new to this, he struggled as well. He couldn't take Hayden's pain away right off."

Nixie turns her eyes to Theo, and then says, "Caring is a part of it. But it's also about your confidence in the fact that you can do it. More to the point, that you can care enough to do it."

Theo blinks in surprise, and then Nixie adds, "You are trying, Theo. I give you that. But half of why I'm still wary of you, is because you doubt that you can actually care that much." She shrugs, "And part of that is because of the past. You remember how you used to be. And part of you doesn't believe that there's any way a person could change and come back from that."

Mason doesn't think he can take any more surprises, and honestly hopes it ends with Nixie reaching over to put a hand on Theo's shoulder.

Theo felt what everyone else always did in that moment. The comfort that simply seemed to pour out of her. It flowed into him, making his restless mind and body, for once, feel calm and at ease. The world was practically already at war all around them… and yet for this brief moment, he didn't have a care in the world.

As a tear falls from his eye, Nixie says, "People can change. If they're given the chance, and if they want it bad enough. We're giving you a chance, Theo." Squeezing his shoulder, making him look at her again, she adds, "You just have to want it bad enough, and actually believe that it can happen. After that, the rest of it will fall into place."

Letting him go, Nixie turns back to Mason. And at his wide eyes, Nixie rolls hers and says, "Don't have a heart attack. He's still got work to do before I'm gonna be okay with him walking around here without one of my eyes on him at all times. Now get up. We have to…"

As her phone rings, Nixie snaps it up and asks, "Did you guys find them?" Lydia answers, "Yeah. But we have a big problem." "Just one? Damn. We're doing better than I thought." "Nixie…"

Frowning, Nixie asks, "What?" "It… it merged. They merged. The… the other half was Quinn. It got to her sometime after she left us to rejoin her pack. And she and Aaron… they're one now. The Anuk-Ite… it's whole."

Lydia's honestly worried that the connection might've been lost on the call, but finally Nixie's voice answers, "Shit."

Sighing after another moment, Nixie says, "Alright. Time to pull out the big guns." "Big guns?" Nixie simply waits for Lydia to catch on, and then the banshee says, "Nixie, no. We decided it would be best not to call him." "At the time, yeah, we did. But I distinctly remember that I put a heavy emphasis on the 'yet' part of that conversation. And if ever there was a time for us to try and come up with a bizarre, insane, and definitely suicidal plan, it would be right now."

Shrugging, she adds, "Plus, if this thing manages to kill us all, and we didn't call him first to warn him, he'd find a way to bring us back to life, just so he could kill us himself." Lydia sighs, "Sarcasm? Really, Nixie?" "First of all, yes, always. Do you even know me? And second of all, I'm not sure what you're talking about. I'm quite serious about what Stiles will do to us, if we don't call him now."

Lydia sighs again, "Fine. But…" Nixie gentles her tone and says, "No one is going to come anywhere even close to taking him away from us again, Lydia. I will not let that happen. Alright?" A pause, and then Lydia says, "Alright." "Good. Also, can you please call David and tell him that Liam's fine?" "Yeah, I'll get on that." "Great. I'll call you back in a few."

Hanging up, Nixie then hits the number five speed dial on her phone. It rings four times, which Nixie considers odd. But then Stiles answers, "Nixie! I can't talk right now. I'm about to save Derek from the gigantic amount of danger he's in."

There's a heavy pause, and then Stiles sighs. And Theo and Mason both jump in surprise at the hard edge that's entered Nixie's voice when she asks, "Stiles, why is Derek is danger? Why are you there with him, also putting yourself in danger? And why in the hell did neither of you call me to inform me that you were in trouble? What the actual hell?!"

* * *

Chapter 8! Woohoo! I did manage to make a few chapters in this story that weren't insanely long. Hope you're still enjoying the journey. 3 more chapters to go.


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I maker her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 9: Episode 6x19

Nixie awoke with a slight jerk. It was the middle of the night… or early morning. She wasn't sure. She just knows it's entirely too early… or late… to be waking up right now.

But the danger, which had already been potent around them, was about to reach its peak. And with that, came an even more heightened sense of Nixie's abilities. A certain sense of when her friends were in danger was always something she had nowadays. But now…

Well, now she's back to feeling like she did when she'd become an emotional tether for three people who sacrificed themselves to a stump in the ground. Not so much the ache and pain part of it. She did feel a tug on her heart, but it was more like a gentle nudge, guiding her in the direction she needed to go, rather than a firm yank like it had been before.

In any case, she snuggles further into Jordan's arms for a moment, sighing contentedly as his body heats up in response to her movement. And his arms that were wrapped around her tightened their grip as well. He wasn't even awake yet, but he even in his subconscious, he could apparently feel that she was about to get up and leave him for a while.

They really need to find this damn Anuk-Ite and kill it. Because things were getting ridiculous. Nixie constantly felt fear welling up in her friends' hearts and minds. She didn't quite understand it, because while she sometimes felt that overwhelming sensation start to take over, she could also push past it and think around it. Meanwhile, not even Scott seemed fully capable of shoving that fear to the side. He was a true alpha, and he could push on in spite of it for the most part. But it was often clear in the shaking of his hand, that something in the air was still terrifying him.

And though Nixie was handling it better than most of the others… she still wasn't sleeping the way she used to in Jordan's arms. She felt safe, that was for sure. But in the past, all she'd needed was to be beside him. That was enough. And now…

Now her arms are wrapped around his waist when they go to sleep, her hands sometimes running up his back and gripping at the backs of his shoulders. Likewise, Jordan's arms were around her, locked in a firm grip that assured him she wasn't going anywhere without his knowledge.

Nixie knows that her gripping him isn't so much out of fear for herself. It's more out of the worry that he might disappear on her in the morning if she weren't holding onto him. Blakely, whose first name Nixie finally figured out was Heather, had warned them both that the entire station had every intention of trying to get them all out of the way. Jordan included. And though they weren't stupid enough to kill him, thanks to his belonging to Nixie… well, they were still stupid enough to want to hurt him.

Nixie feels him sigh against the top of her head before he asks, "And where are you going at four in the morning?" She groans at being alerted to the time of day. Then she sighs, "Lydia's having a nightmare. Or… well, a banshee-mare, I guess I should say. I think she's having some sort of premonition in her sleep."

Jordan pauses, and then asks, "Did she call you?" "No, babe. I just feel it. Which means shit is hitting the fan, probably as we speak." Letting out a long breath against her, Jordan then asks, "And you need to go?" "Yeah." "You hungry?" "Always."

He chuckles at that, and then kisses the top of her head before finally loosening his grip. Leaning back a little, he asks, "Bacon?" "Now you're just teasing me. The answer to bacon is always yes." "I know."

He kisses the end of her nose, and then grins when she moves in to press her lips to his. Slanting her mouth against his, she tries to dive in for more. Jordan rolls so he's over top of her though, and pulls back to remind her, "Lydia." Nixie sighs, "Damn pregnancy hormones." Grinning, Jordan says, "And if you don't want me to take advantage of them, you better hurry up and hop in the shower."

But as he lifts himself out of bed and heads towards the kitchen, he can't help laughing when Nixie asks from the bathroom doorway, "How exactly does that help? Especially when I don't know where you think you're going. Get your ass in here. We're conserving water this morning." "Nixie, we never end up conserving water when we share the shower." "Well, see?! Then we should practice, don't you think."

As he raises an eyebrow, Nixie pouts. Finally, Jordan just moves in past her and cuts on the water in the shower, helps her out of her shirt, and then mutters against her lips, "Lydia needs you." "It should be considered sad that you're the one remembering that more than me at this point. Shouldn't this overly lustful feeling be dying off for me eventually?" Jordan shrugs, but then backs her under the stream of hot water while saying, "I hope not." "Jordan!"

* * *

As Derek prepares to leave, trying to take off after Kate, he pauses when Chris says, "Derek, they're gonna need help. A lot of it."

Turning back to his former enemy turned friend, Derek says, "I know. And while I've been trying to figure out who framed me, I've been working on that too." Chris tilts his head, "How? From what I've managed to gather, Nixie doesn't even know where you are right now." "She doesn't. Something I'm sure she'll berate me for. I'll buy another cell phone and never get rid of it again, when I get back to the states."

Then he shrugs, "I've been making some calls." "To whom?" "Everyone."

When Chris still looks confused, Derek explains, "Ethan and Jackson have been in London for about two years now. They're on their way to Beacon Hills as we speak. Isaac has been in Paris, living with the pack you introduced him to there. He's trying to see if he can round up a few recruits to bring with him before he heads back. And Kira…"

Derek sighs at that one, "Harder to reach, but done nonetheless. The skinwalkers usually don't leave their desert homes for much of anything. But for a blue dragon, they're coming, and they're bringing the desert with them."

Chris stares at him with wide eyes for a moment. Then he can't help saying, "So, when you said everyone?" Derek nods, "I meant everyone." "And they're all coming?"

And then Chris can't help laughing when Derek grins and says, "It's amazing how quickly people are willing to move and help, when you mention the name Nixie Parrish."

* * *

On their way to Scott's, Nixie just has to clarify again, "Okay… so I just need to ask one more time. 'Where is Jackson?' Jackson? As in, your old boyfriend who was most definitely an asshole, and is now living in London? That Jackson?" Lydia nods, and before Nixie can ask, she says, "And no, Nixie, I don't know how I'm so positive I'm talking about him. Well… other than the fact that I don't know any other Jacksons. And it felt like a name I knew when I said it in my sleep. I felt… worried."

Nixie nods, "Noted. The banshee is worried. Which means we should all, obviously, be worried. So yeah."

At Scott's house, Nixie frowns as Lydia moves around the house looking for him. She, herself, obviously already knew Scott wasn't in the house. His scent was all around, but it wasn't strong enough to mean that he was actually here. He had been, a while ago. But he wasn't anymore.

Someone else was though.

Lydia gasps as Nixie spins around, a dagger already finding its way into her hand, and then being held against Peter's throat. If Lydia had been on her own, the man might've been able to appear out of nowhere. But not while Nixie was around.

Tilting his head, he says, "I'm flattered that you recognize my scent so easily." "You shouldn't be. It's only burned into my senses the way it is so I can kill you if you do something stupid while in my vicinity." Peter looks back at her evenly for a moment. Then, to her and Lydia's surprise, he nods and says honestly, "Fair enough."

Raising an eyebrow, Lydia then asks, "What are you even doing here?" "Well, I'm looking for Malia? You?" Tilting her head at the man, Lydia answers, "Looking for Scott. Obviously. Why would Malia…"

But Nixie turns her head and stops Lydia by saying, "Actually… it's not that far of a stretch." Lydia's eyes widen, "Really?" Nixie shrugs, but then turns back to Peter when he asks, "But why are you two searching for Scott?" Nixie raises an eyebrow and says, "We're the good guys here. We'll be asking the questions." Lydia nods, "So why are you looking for Malia?"

Peter might've stepped forward a little, but as the blade at his neck pressed in harder, he winced before offering up, "Parental concern." Nixie scoffs a laugh, and Lydia narrows her eyes at him. The man's redeemable quality was Malia, but neither of them were really buying that right now.

Sighing, Peter asks, "Why didn't you just call Scott?" Lydia shrugs, "Why didn't you call Malia?" Peter huffs, "I… we're not… this is…" Wincing as Nixie presses her blade harder again, he gives her a look and says, "We're obviously not getting very far with this conversation. And would you please put that down?"

Nixie narrows her eyes, but then frowns deeper when Lydia finally concedes, "I can't reach him." And Lydia sighs when Nixie snaps her head around and asks, "What?!" "I… already tried to call him. He didn't pick up. But that doesn't mean…" Nixie rolls her eyes, "If you didn't think it meant he was in some sort of trouble of some kind, you would've already told me to call him, fully expecting him to answer me, even if he didn't answer you."

Peter lifts a finger gently into the air and says, "At the very least, I'm doing better in that department. The other reason I'm here, is because I'm looking for Nixie." When both girls look at him like he's lost his mind, he shrugs, "She calls, and everyone always answers, unless they are completely unable. So… I went looking for her. But you weren't home, so I figured my next stop should be here. I would've gone to Lydia's next, if this turned out to be unfruitful."

Nixie tilts her head at him, so Peter ends with, "I… can't reach Malia, either. Or anyone, for that matter. And there are reports that several cell phone towers in the area are down." Nodding, Nixie then blinks, "Then why did you think I'd be able to call them?" "I honestly don't know. But I figured you might have some high-powered way of making it happen."

Lydia sighs, "Alright. That's definitely cause for concern." Peter turns to her, "It's more than that." Nixie and Lydia share a glance, and then Lydia asks, "Monroe and Gerard?" Peter nods, "They're cutting us off from the outside." Nixie sighs, "And each other." "Which likely means that they've already started amassing troops on their side."

Finally, Nixie lowers her blade from his neck. Slipping it back into its place at her belt, she then turns to look at her best friend. The banshee takes in a deep breath, and then just cocks her head to the side and says, "Alright. Then we better find ours."

And then she grins when Nixie says, "That's the spirit. I'm gonna go grab a pair of Scott's pants or a shirt or something." Glancing at Peter, she adds, "Something of Malia's too. Let's see if we can get this done before the world decides to go to hell in a hand basket, shall we!"

* * *

As Jordan hurriedly opens and then re-bolts the door into Chris Argent's bunker, he jumps in surprise when he sees Noah's gun pointed at him from the other side of the room.

The sheriff quickly lowers it though upon seeing who it is. Sighing, he asks, "What do you got?" Opening the backpack he managed to bring with him, Jordan says, "Monroe has the entire station pulling accident reports. Blakely says they're going back at least a decade. This is what she managed to grab for me. But its things like totaled cars, industrial accidents, fires."

Nodding, Noah sighs, "Melissa told me she saw the same thing happening at the hospital. She saw a nurse collecting charts, pulling all the same kind of stuff. Strange reports, incidents where patients came in covered in blood, and then somehow ended up miraculously healed and discharged on the same day. And that's not the only thing. McCall, Scott's dad, told me about something he saw at the high school."

Jordan nods, "Kids walking around with bandages. Nixie told me after Liam showed it to her. A test to see how fast they heal." Noah sighs, "They're making lists." "And this is everyone around us. Neighbors, friends." "They planned this out. It's not just random opportunities…"

Noah looks up from the case in his hands, and says worriedly, "It's an operation." Running a hand over his face, Jordan says, "This is really happening. I mean, Nixie said this morning before she left that it was definitely worse now than it had been yet. But… God. This is really happening." Noah nods, and then puts a hand on Jordan's shoulder. "And we need to find out when, if we're going to help her. Exactly when."

Jordan nods, and then glances down as the radio on his shirt goes off. _"All units, please respond, we have a ten-one-seven at Eichen House. Somehow concerning a person named Bennett."_

Noah and Jordan snap their eyes to look at each other, and then Jordan says, "I'll check it out. They technically haven't kicked me off the force yet. I'll figure out what's going on." As he turns to leave though, Noah asks, "How's the baby?"

Turning back to Noah, Jordan says, "Beautiful as ever. Everything's still moving at twice the speed, so Nixie looks like she's sixteen weeks rather than just eight. But aside from that, everything seems to be perfectly fine." Noah nods, and then adds, "Jordan… I know I don't need to tell you to proceed with caution. But you're Nixie's husband, and she's my daughter. Which makes you like another son to me."

Jordan nods in understanding, "And I'm grateful for that." Noah nods back, and then says, "Just… don't forget. They know what you are. And whether your Nixie's or not… her eyes only hold so much influence. Especially where Monroe is concerned. Be careful."

Taking a deep breath, Jordan turns for the door to leave. He pauses at it though, and then turns back to Noah. "Sheriff… if you don't hear from me within the next two hours… tell Nixie what happened." Noah nods, "And then what?"

Jordan lets out a long breath. "Then get out of her way. And pray no one else is stupid enough to get in it."

* * *

Peter sighs, "They haven't been here." Lydia tosses up her hands where she stands on the other side of the table in the back room of the clinic. "Then maybe we should go to the school."

This was usually the part where Peter would say something sociopathic or insultingly sarcastic, and Nixie had her eyes ready to glow, depending on exactly what it was. But instead, Peter turns the conversation back around to a point he was trying to figure out. "Lydia, you never said why you were waiting for Scott."

Lydia glances over at Nixie, who narrows her eyes at Peter for a moment. But then she looks to Lydia and says, "You're the banshee. It's up to you." Moving to stand across the table from Peter, Lydia asks, "Are you sure you wanna know?" Peter shrugs, "Do I need to know?"

Pressing her lips into a firm line for a moment, Lydia then says, "Last night, I woke up to Nixie shaking me. I was a shivering, sweating, worried mess. And as she'd been trying to wake me up, and even after I finally opened my eyes, I woke up saying two words. Granted, they might just be from a dream…"

But they both look to Nixie when she crosses her arms and says, "Banshees don't dream. They predict. Sometimes in their sleep… but they don't dream." Lydia nods to her in understanding, and then says to Peter, "Which leads us to believe that it's something else."

Peter glances between them, and then asks, "Well… what were the two words?" Lydia sighs, "Where's Jackson?" Leaning back and running his hands through his hair, Peter comments, "That is disturbing on multiple levels. But… what else?"

Lydia looks to Nixie again, even while Peter says, "Guys, come on. Don't hold back on me. I never held back on you." Snapping her silver eyes up to look at him, Nixie says in a low growl, "Yeah, that's kind of the problem. Jackass." But, turning back to Lydia, Nixie says, "It's up to you, Lyd."

Sighing, she looks to Peter again, and then says, "I saw you… turned to stone."

Shaking her head, trying not to remember it while also having to get out the words, she continues, "I was in a storage container. It was steel. There was a blue wall." As a tear begins to leak from her eyes, she shakes her head sharply and turns to head for Nixie… only to find her friend already at her side.

Wrapping Lydia in her arms, willing every ounce of comfort she can into that touch, Nixie looks over her shoulder at Peter. Shaking her head, she says, "Lydia saw everyone, even Derek and Ethan… turned to stone. All of us."

Peter grits his teeth and finally can't help himself as he says, "Does she ever see anything even remotely optimistic?!" Nixie snarls at him, and then says, "All of her predictions are optimistic, because they are what give us the opportunity to prevent these terrible things from happening. Which is what we're going to do?"

But Nixie frowns when Lydia shakes her head and says, "Actually… I… not all of us. I didn't see everyone. I saw almost everyone. I even saw me. But…" Tilting her head at Nixie, sadly… but also in wonder, she adds, "But I didn't see you. I… I saw rain. I saw the blackest rainclouds I've ever seen. Lightning and thunder crashing, wind tearing at the world, and rain so cold it practically froze before it even hit the ground. But… you weren't turned to stone."

As they both stare at each other, trying to figure out what that means, Peter suddenly asks, "Storage… do you mean shipping container?" Both turning to look at him for a moment, Nixie then nudges Lydia and asks, "Lyd?" She thinks on it for a moment, and then nods excitedly, "Yeah. Yeah, I was surrounded by them!"

A small glimmer of hope emerges onto Peter's face, and he says, "I think I know where that is." Lydia smiles, "Then you know how to find Scott!"

And then they both look towards the door, where Nixie is now standing, as she says, "Great. So let's hop in the car and get a move on already. I'm driving." As they head out, Peter asks, "Why is she driving your car, Lydia?"

But as they slide in, Lydia simply buckles in immediately, and then does a little cross in front of her. Nixie raises an eyebrow, "I didn't know you were Catholic." "I'm not. Just shut up and drive." Nixie grins when Lydia even goes as far as to already grab the armrests for support. Then she glances back at Peter.

"For the record, you definitely want to buckle up. Because the reason I'm driving, is because neither of you know how to drive like our lives depend on it, worth a damn. Just keep your eyes open, tell me when to turn, and if you value your life, do not be that person that becomes a backseat driver. You won't have to worry about turning to stone if I end up turning you into an ice sculpture first."

* * *

As Noah steps inside his house, carefully glancing around to make sure no one else is here that he doesn't know, he then calls out, "Naomi! You here?"

He sighs in relief when hears a gun barrel's slide get knocked back into its proper place. He'd briefly worried that the situation at Eichen, when they'd mentioned a Bennett, meant that someone had actually managed to take Naomi back to that horrible place. But as he steps into the dining room, he finds Nixie's mom sitting at the table. A pistol, a rifle, a semi-automatic, and also a crossbow in front of her.

When Naomi had asked him to learn how to shoot, he'd been more than willing to teach her. In the world they were a part of, it was essential that every one of them have a way to protect themselves. Whether it be an electric baton, special herbs and mixtures, or… guns.

Honestly though, the process of teaching her got him to wondering about what character traits Nixie actually had managed to inherit from her birth father. He'd always assumed some part of Nixie's desire to always be prepared to fight had come from the man he knew had been a marine before he died. But…

Well, Naomi learned the pistol. Then she learned the rifle. And after she mastered both of those, she asked to learn more. She wanted to know all she could about how to protect herself, and the people around her. She wanted to be able to protect her daughter, if the occasion to do so ever arose. And that sort of determination, the kind that allowed Naomi to learn all of this as quickly as she was… that was the same determination that he'd always seen in Nixie.

Coming up behind her, squeezing her shoulders gently, he asks, "How long have you been at this?" "About an hour." Turning in her chair, she asks, "Have you talked to Nixie?" "Not today. I saw Jordan though. He said the baby was fine, and so was Nixie."

Naomi sighs in relief, and as her hands shake a little, Noah takes hold of them in his hands. Sitting in the chair next to her, he asks, "What's wrong?" She just shakes her head, "I… I'm not built for this. I mean, I want to protect her. I want to help all that I can, I do. But…"

Gesturing towards the guns, she says, "Every time I get ready to touch one of these, my hands start shaking." Noah nods, "But you steady them." "Yeah, but…" "Naomi…"

His thumb gently brushes against her knuckles, and as she calms down, he smiles. "You're not fearless." She scoffs, "Believe me, I know. Oh, if Nixie could only see me like this. She'd…" "She'd be so proud of you. And, she'd also probably smack you in the back of the head."

When Naomi blinks at him in surprise, Noah chuckles. "Not being fearless is something to be proud of, Naomi. At least, it is in Nixie's eyes. Being fearless, in her opinion, means you have given up caring about anything and everything. You don't have anything to fight for. You're just done. So… when I say you're not fearless? Naomi, I say that as one of the highest compliments I can give. Because you're not fearless, and yet you are still trying to do all of this. And that makes you courageous."

Drawing her hands up to his lips, he kisses her knuckles before saying, "And in Nixie's eyes, that is one of the greatest things a person ever can be."

Naomi nods after a moment, and then blushes while asking, "Is that the highest compliment you have to give? Because… I've heard quite a lot from you these past couple of months. And I've enjoyed them quite a bit." Raising an eyebrow, Noah smirks, "Ms. Bennett… are you fishing for something?"

Her blush deepens, but as she watches Noah smirk, she pulls one of her hands free and swats at his arm. She then moves to stand up, but Noah rises with her, bringing them toe to toe with each other.

Naomi sucks in a nervous breath as her hands rise up on instinct, landing on his chest. Though whether she's trying to keep a little space between them, or simply let her hands rest on his firm and warm body… she's not sure. Noah, for his part, lifts his hands to gently hold her at the elbows, keeping her where she is, and simply waiting.

They'd been dancing around this ever since he moved her into his house. The first day had been the only truly awkward day between them. Naomi had been well-informed, by Nixie herself, that Noah was practically her adoptive father. He was the man who had helped raise her; though he may not have realized how much at the time, since he hadn't known how very alone she'd been. And likewise in Noah's case, he knew that even while Naomi had been insane, Nixie still considered her mother to be one of the single greatest human beings to ever walk the face of the earth. If anyone were to ever have a higher place in Nixie's heart than her boys… maybe even higher than Jordan… it would be Naomi.

They both knew how highly Nixie thought of the other. In that sense, they saw each other as a person who was sat upon a pedestal almost, and they hadn't been sure of how to approach each other.

Ironically enough though, Nixie ended up also being the thing that broke the ice between them. Noah wanted to know more about the child that Nixie had been, before Naomi had been taken away from her. And Naomi wanted to know more about the young woman that Nixie had become, in spite of the hand she'd been dealt.

One particular thing Naomi thought was adorable, was how Nixie had come to love western movies. Turns out, her love of Clint Eastwood was partially Noah's doing. On one of the first night's she'd spent in their house, there had been a marathon on, and Noah had been watching it. Nixie had woken up later, when he'd still been awake himself, and come down for a glass of water. She'd apparently had a nightmare, though she refused to talk about what it was.

Noah had later learned that she'd dreamt of the day her mother first snapped. But at the time, he hadn't needed to know. He'd simply opened up an arm to her, and she settled onto the couch at his side.

Nixie hadn't even really been paying attention to the movies that night. She was focused on the comfort that Noah had provided. Comfort she usually wanted to give to everyone else, but had accepted from him that night.

Clint Eastwood was forever her favorite actor after that.

Then came other conversations. Nothing serious… but normal, common conversations. The ones that families had on an everyday basis. Like what they wanted for dinner, or what their plans were for the evening. Conversations that neither of them had really been able to have with another person in the same house, for quite some time.

Then came the flirting. Naomi might deny it, but Noah knew that's what it was. And yes, he knew part of that resistance was because Naomi had been apart from society for so long. But whenever she would touch him, she'd let her fingers linger longer than necessary. And at first, he'd chalked that up to her past loneliness. But then it started happening every day, and he would catch her glancing back at him to see his reaction.

And when he started teasing her back… well, Noah doesn't think he's seen anyone blush so beautifully. She was often the one who cooked dinner and breakfast now. And whenever she was at the stove, he'd take a minute to box her in there. He'd either reach directly past her to grab something from a cabinet, or he'd place his hands on either side of her against the counter, trapping her there. And he'd ask her normal, typical questions… but he'd be right next to her ear when he asked.

Then came the compliments that Naomi was referring to. They were small… but they still meant the world. He'd just tell her that he liked her hair pulled back in a bun from her face. Or he liked the purple shirt she was wearing that day. If she went to the trouble of fixing herself up a little bit, putting on a touch of makeup here and there, he'd notice and compliment her on it.

He also made a note of telling her that she looked beautiful without any makeup on. Garnering a blush from her that he teased was beautiful as well. And after that, teaching her how to shoot had proved to be an interesting affair too. Half the time that Naomi would miss, she would narrow her eyes at Noah, because it was clearly his fault. He was standing too close.

And now, here they were. Noah can feel that it's all come to a head. And if Naomi backed away now, he wasn't going to lie. He'd be a bit disappointed. But he wouldn't push her. She'd been through a lot. Her mind had been broken, and then slowly sewn back together after Nixie turned eighteen. The woman had lost over ten years of her life to the test that had been Nixie's trial for becoming a dragon. As far as he was concerned, she could have as much time as she needed to try and figure out what she wanted out of this life now.

She trembles a bit, another blush creeping into her cheeks. But finally, she licks her lips and says, "I… have not done this… in years. Joshua… my husband… he was the only…" Noah nods in understanding, and then admits, "It was the same with my wife."

Naomi looks up at him, her blue eyes darting between both of his for a moment. Then she shocks him by leaning up quickly and pressing a swift kiss to his lips.

Her face turns completely red after the fact, and she ducks her head down to face the floor. Shaking her head, she says, "I… sorry. I'm… rusty? No, I… I just…"

Noah's hands cup her cheeks gently, tilting her head back so she would be looking at him again. Thumbs brushing at her cheeks, he smiles gently and says, "I think you're better than you think you are at this. But, if I may…"

He draws her in slowly, pausing for a second right in front of her lips, giving her a chance to pull away, if that's what she wanted. But all she does is close her eyes, her breath catching in her throat as her anticipation builds.

The lips that land against hers are slow, gentle, and guiding. His hands move to gently cup her neck and the back of her head, holding her steady as he took his time to show her a better way.

And if he's reading it right, her hands tightening in their grip on his shirt means she definitely liked this kiss better than her own. Those hands then slide up his chest and over his shoulders. And as her fingers move to slide through his hair, her other hand clinging to his back, Noah's hands drift down to her back, pulling her more firmly against him.

When they finally break apart, Naomi gasps in for breath for a few seconds. Then she opens her eyes to look at him again. And for a moment, neither of them speak.

Then Noah can't help grinning when Naomi says, "I think… I'm still going to need more practice." Chuckling, he says, "I'll be more than happy to help with that." "Good."

She blushes again, and asks, "But… what is Nixie going to think of this?" Noah ponders that a moment, and then smiles gently before saying, "I don't think you need to worry about that. Nixie's number one concern in the world, is making sure her people are happy and taken care of. Now, I'm already taking care of you. Do I make you happy?"

Naomi blushes brighter, but smiles and answers, "Yes." "Then don't worry. Nixie will be thrilled. In fact, I think you may be surprised at just how thrilled she is."

Nodding, Naomi then glances down at the table and says, "Um… we should probably focus on the current crisis we're in though. You think?" "Yeah, probably."

But neither of them is really surprised when, after taking another moment to think about it, the guns and arrows on the table are forgotten as they make their way towards the couch in the living room.

* * *

In Lydia's car, they're about halfway to the place Peter's leading them to, when Nixie's phone goes off. As she takes one hand off the wheel to reach for it though, Lydia screams, "Don't take your hands off the wheel! I'll get it!"

Nixie rolls her eyes, "You'd think I'd never answered the phone while driving before." Peter's eyes widen as he asks, "While driving like this?" As he nearly slams into the side of the car as she makes a sharp turn, Nixie then says, "I don't see what you guys are so worried about. I haven't even gotten around to breaking one-hundred yet. Granted, that's because we've hit a lot of turns, more than I was expecting. But still…"

As Peter just stares at her like she's an alien, Lydia finally gets the phone from Nixie's pocket. Glancing at the caller ID, she then swipes across to answer and puts it on speaker phone. "Mason?" "Lydia? Where's Nixie?"

Cringing as they go around another sharp turn, Lydia lets out a shaky breath and says, "She's driving… if you can call it that." Nixie gives Lydia a look, and then can't help laughing when Lydia exclaims, "Eyes on the road!"

Doing as she's told, Nixie asks, "What's up Mase?"

He briefly explains that Nolan… yes, Nolan… had lead Liam into the hospital to show him something. The first thing being that there were two nurses on the staff at the front desk that were definitely a part of Gerard and Monroe's army. Nurses!

Nixie grits her teeth and says, "I guess I'm just going to have to start vetting the entire God-forsaken town to figure out which ones can stay and which ones can leave. It only took me four years to convince Noah that he shouldn't hire anyone I didn't like. I'm sure I can convince David and Melissa in… one? Maybe two years, I don't want to seem too cocky."

Mason and Corey grin at each other, and then Mason says, "Well, the second thing Nolan wanted to show him was… there's three supernatural creatures in the hospital that were brought in last night. And they're hooked up to IVs that… well, they're filled with wolfsbane. They appear to be constantly pumping it into their system or something."

Frowning further, Nixie asks, "So what are you guys doing?" "Corey and I are going to meet Liam. We'll help him unhook the IVs, and we'll hopefully get them out before any permanent damage is done."

Nixie shakes her head, and then adds, "Worth noting, I don't like the sound of this. By the way, how am I able to receive your call, but we can't reach Scott." "He must be in the range of a different cell tower. One that's no longer functioning. Corey and I are probably about to drive out of range too, so be braced for that."

And they can't help grinning again when Nixie says, "I am literally never able to be braced when you people run into dangerous situations without me. But, that shouldn't come as a surprise to you at this point. Now, someone please explain to me why we're suddenly trusting Nolan?"

Mason sighs, "We're not entirely sure ourselves. But, Liam said it looked like he was becoming more frightened of Monroe and Gerard than he ever had been of us. So… maybe his ideas about what he truly finds terrifying have changed." Nixie nods, "Hopefully that's true, because that would be a good thing. He didn't look like a bad kid. He just looked terrified."

For a moment, all is silent. Then Nixie says, "Alright. You two be safe and as careful as possible. Call me the minute you think something is going wrong. And if either of you get hurt before I'm able to come and help you, I may even come close to giving you a concussion, Mason. I'll fix you right after of course, but I will be smacking you in the back of the head."

Corey laughs while Mason says, "Copy that. If for some reason we can't call, I'll try to find another way to message you." "That's my boy. Keep me posted." "On it."

Lydia hangs up, and then asks, "What do you think?" "What do you mean?" "I mean, you said you didn't like it. Why?" "Because there are two hunters working in the hospital now. And there are three supernatural creatures in that same hospital, hooked up to wolfsbane. If that's not something that smells fishy, then I don't know what is."

Sighing, she then adds, "And… I have this terrible sense of foreboding." Lydia glances over at her, and then says, "Yeah. Me too."

And then Lydia can't help but grin when Nixie says, "The banshee and the dragon both have a sense that the world is about to end as we know it. It's official. The rest of this night is about to get very interesting." "Sarcasm? Really?" "First of all, yes. Always. Why do you people keep asking that? And second of all, I have no idea what you're talking about. I'm quite serious."

* * *

When they arrive at the shipyard, Lydia sighs in relief before saying, "I'm driving home." "Fine. But I may opt for flying, depending on what we learn while we're here." "Noted."

Running across the yard and moving past the blue containers, Nixie shouts when she spots them, "I see them!" Lydia joins her, and then shouts, "Scott! Scott!"

But as they get to Scott, Nixie blinks when Lydia immediately says, "None of us are gonna survive this." Eyes widening, he asks, "What? Why? What are you guys doing here?" Nixie points to him, "Excellent question, and I was about to ask you the same thing. Why am I not also being taught by Deucalion on how to fight this thing with my eyes closed?"

Deucalion, who stands on Scott's right, puts a hand on her shoulder and says, "Because you don't need me to teach you. You've already been trained, thanks to Chris Argent, by one of the finest fighter and weapon's master this country has. And your senses, even before you were a dragon, you were always using to determine where your enemies were, and how to sort them out and best them. So my teachings, you do not need. You need only to be you."

And he grins when Nixie says, "And just like that, I'm not mad anymore." "Good." Scott looks between the two, but then turns back to Lydia, "Okay. But back to you thinking we're all gonna die. What do you mean?" Peter explains, "They're coming. Monroe and more. And they have heavy firepower."

Nixie nods to that, but then freezes, tilting her head to the side to listen.

Deucalion wasn't kidding. Especially when it came to her sense of hearing. That had been her one sense that had always been heightened. Her sight had sharpened with time, and even more as a dragon. But her ears… they had always been able to hear things that they shouldn't.

For example, the cocking of a gun, the loading of a clip, and the pressing down of a trigger, right before that first explosion of the bullet leaving the barrel.

It still wasn't a sound as distinct for her as an arrow. That had always been a sound she associated with Alison before. A good sound. So even though it wasn't anymore, she still always heard it in record time. Bullets, however, were always a bad sound. Even if they were being fired by Chis, Jordan, or Noah. They were always bad.

Which is why Deucalion took two bullets, one to the stomach and one to the chest, before a blue wing was suddenly wrapped around him. "GET DOWN!"

Everyone moves at Nixie's command, and as Deucalion sinks to the floor, she catches him and hauls him over to the side, out of the line of fire. Wincing as he looks up at her, he tries to stop her from placing her hands on him.

Glaring at him, she says, "I'm about damn tired of people trying to tell me who I can help heal and who I can't. So shut up and let me help." Gripping his hand, she assesses his injuries, feeling the way her body reacts to trying to help him.

The one on his stomach was not something she could do anything about. But as that wasn't the bullet that was currently killing him, she wasn't as concerned with that one. Opening her eyes to look at him, she says, "I can't take the one in your gut. I'm pregnant and that would not be good for the baby." Deucalion nods, but then his eyes widen when a spot on the right side of her chest tears open and starts to bleed. Wincing at the pain, she then says through her teeth, "But that I can help you with."

A bullet ricochets off of her wing, and then Nixie carefully folds them back into her body. Glancing around to try and find everyone amidst the barrage of bullets and chaos, she can't help but say in aggravation, "Well, it's official."

At Deucalion's confused look, she explains, "The world has officially gone to hell in a handbasket. So now, we're going to have to go through hell to get out handbasket back." Raising an eyebrow, Deucalion asks, "And how exactly do you intend to do that?"

"Same way I've always planned to get through hell. By making it freeze over."

* * *

Chapter 9! Two more to go guys. :)


	11. Chapter 10 - Part 1

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I maker her do or say."

Side Note: I just wanted to go ahead and let anyone who cares know that, in my editing and reworking of Chapter 10, I made it rather long. Longer than it originally was. So I decided to break it into two parts. So now, there will be thirteen total chapters in this story, rather than just twelve. (I'm not crazy about the number thirteen... but oh well.)

Okay. Sorry for interrupting. Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter 10: Episode 6x20 (Part 1)

As Isaac stands before his new alpha apprehensively, the man puts a hand on his shoulder and says, "Isaac, you've been here for almost two years now. I thought you'd learn to not fear me by then. Am I so intimidating?"

Isaac smiles a bit, but then says, "I just… I know this asks a lot of you. And for that I am sorry, Titus." Titus Draiken doesn't deny that he agrees with that assessment. Apparently, the bulk of this current war that was breaking out, was being fought in Beacon Hills. A place Isaac intended to go, with or without his alpha's permission. And a place that Isaac was hoping a few others would join him in traveling to.

The dark-skinned alpha had the palest blue eyes that anyone Isaac had ever met. And when Chris had first introduced them to each other… well, both had been surprised. Isaac was slightly intimidated, that much was true. But that had more to do with Titus' size and status than anything else. The man was built as if he were a solid piece of concrete. In training sessions, Isaac had watched as younger members would try to punch him, and the man didn't even flinch. Didn't even move a muscle or an inch in any direction. There wasn't a whole lot that actually phased him, physically or otherwise.

But when he'd been first meeting Isaac… well, the man had been surprised. His pale blue eyes when they weren't glowing red, he knew they threw some people off guard. But Isaac had met his gaze head on, not wavering as he'd let his eyes look over the young beta curiously.

It was that, and the obvious good heart that the young man had, that had convinced Titus to welcome him so easily. And he still didn't understand why everyone else, even those who had known him for years, still met his eyes with a slightly intimidated air, and yet Isaac never had.

But as we all know, Isaac has already seen on the most penetrating and powerful set of eyes known to man. Short of that, no other set will ever phase him again.

Didn't mean Titus wasn't still intimidating, which is why Isaac could feel a few nervous tremors running through his system. Scott and Nixie needed help, and he was going to provide it. Whether that help consisted of just himself, or a few more from his pack in Paris, was the only thing yet to be determined.

Titus watches at Isaac glances at a clock on the wall. The young beta clearly knew that time was running out for his friends across the ocean. Running a hand over his mouth, Titus then says, "You know I don't enter into a fight unless it's a worthy cause. And obviously, fighting for the survival of our entire supernatural race is worthy. But I also do not enter into a fight without knowing who I'm going to be fighting with."

Lifting up his hands and shrugging, he adds, "You've told me very little about this pack you used to belong to in Beacon Hills. You never have. And I know that's not because you're ashamed of them. Whenever your hometown is brought back up, your head lifts with pride. You're very proud of where you came from, and of the people you left behind there."

Narrowing his eyes a bit, he adds, "Which means you speak very little of them, out of some form of protection. Why you feel they should be protected from me, I have never understood. I would never wish harm to people you hold so dear. But, Isaac… if you want me and anyone else here to join in this fight… you are going to have to explain to us who we'll be fighting alongside."

Isaac stands there for a second, pondering what his next words should be. It was true, he'd hardly spoken of Scott and the rest of the pack since he'd gotten here. But he didn't believe Titus would ever harm them. That wasn't it.

The rest of the pack, however, he couldn't say anything for. Titus was selective, and Isaac wanted to trust that judgement. But all of the alphas that had joined to form the alpha pack, had also once been kind members of their own packs. And they'd turned evil and slaughtered their entire pack for power.

Isaac didn't believe Titus was a man capable of such cruelty. But… he also didn't completely trust his own sense of judgment in that sense. He trusted Nixie's.

Oh, he wishes he could just have her standing here, telling him who he could trust and who he couldn't. He trusted Titus because Chris had told him he could. And he trusted Titus' daughter, Kelly, because… Well, that was because she had a way of making him smile that no one else had yet to achieve.

But the bottom line right now was simple. If he wanted to help Nixie and Scott, if he wanted to bring them aid… then he had to tell Titus who the members of the pack were, and why they meant so much to him.

Taking a breath, he says, "The pack in Beacon Hills… is much more diverse than any I believe you've ever met. Werewolves, yes. But there's also a coyote, and at one point there was a fox. She… may be a skinwalker now, I'm not sure how that works. There are humans as well, more than I know you've ever let know about your own pack. There are some chimeras, because of experiments done on them. There's a banshee."

Titus' eyes widen, "A banshee?" Isaac nods, "And a hellhound?" "A hellhound?!" Taking a breath, Isaac tries to steady himself as he meets his alpha's gaze again. "And… Scott McCall… he's a true alpha." Titus's previously crossed arms drop to his sides in surprise, "You were in a pack with a true alpha?" Isaac nods again, and then flinches a bit when Titus asks, "Why did you leave him then?"

Seeing the young beta in pain, Titus says, "Ah. The young woman, Alison. It wasn't that you wanted to leave. You just couldn't stay."

Isaac nods again, happy he doesn't have to explain that. Then, as he's about to tell him about the final member, his phone in his pocket chimes to warn him that it's six o'clock on Friday. It was time, whether he really had time or not, to send a message to Nixie and let her know he was still okay.

The thought makes him smile, but as he pulls it from his pocket, Titus asks, "Who is it that you text every day?" At the confusion that rests on Isaac's face, Titus smiles gently. Isaac had never been made to reveal all of who he still kept in contact with from Beacon Hills. He'd reserved the right to keep that matter private, same as all the information he had about Scott's pack.

But, and with a laugh of his own, Titus explains, "Kelly… is quite taken with you. And every Friday, whether you're with her already or not, you drop everything to send someone a message in some far off place. And I know to you she seems very self-assured… but she is concerned that she may only be a minor distraction to you, and that you are simply waiting for someone in Beacon Hills to call you away from her."

Isaac's eyes widen, and then he actually gulps when Titus narrows his eyes and adds, "For the record, if you break my daughter's heart, I will break something of yours."

Silence reigns for a moment, and then Isaac lifts up his phone to show the name 'Nixie' printed on the screen. Titus tilts his head, but Isaac explains, "This… it's just a reminder to text Nixie. She… is a member of Scott's pack. She's married! That's… that's who I travelled home for earlier this year. I went to her wedding."

Titus nods to that, and then freezes entirely when Isaac adds, "And… she's… well, she's… a dragon."

When his alpha doesn't respond, Isaac rushes on, "She's overly protective. I mean, she's happy I'm here, and that I'm happy. But if I were to suddenly stop texting her and 'fall of the face of the earth', as she puts it, she'd probably actually crack my skull from hitting me in the head."

Then he adds with a grin, "Well, and then she'd fix it. But, she just wants to know that I'm safe and being taken care of. I text her every week to let her know that. The phone thing is kind of her rule. You call her for anything. Literally, anything. I need help with a math course I took online three months ago, and I called her to help me. And if you don't call when you need her, heaven help us all. Because…"

Isaac stops short when Titus moves up to him. Gripping the beta's shoulders in his hands, Titus bends down to look in directly in the eye. Flitting back and forth between Isaac's with his own, the man then asks, "You… know a dragon? A blue dragon? There… there's one alive? Today? She… you know a blue dragon?"

And to Titus' eternal astonishment, Isaac shrugs slightly and says, "Yeah. I mean, she's one of my best friends in the world." "Even from across the ocean?"

Isaac grins, "Titus, I could end up on Mars for all she cares. No amount of distance is going to be the thing that takes Nixie away from me. She's irreplaceable, in terms of a friend." And then he adds honestly, "If I couldn't be here and still be friends with her… then painful as it might still be, I would go back to Beacon Hills. Because Nixie… she's not somebody you let go of once you have her."

Titus' only response for a moment is, "Indeed." Then he steps back and begins pacing for a moment.

Isaac jumps a bit when his alpha turns back to him. Gentle smile back in place, he says, "We'll join you, Isaac. Informing me about all of this has been a very big step for you, I know that. And so, we will accompany you, and help in trying to end this war before it starts."

Bowing his head, Isaac says, "Thank you, Titus. Who all will be coming, if you don't mind my asking?" Titus simply grins, "I said 'we', Isaac. As in, all of us."

As Isaac's widening eyes and dropped jaw, Titus chuckles. "I admit, if it were only to help a true alpha, I may have left some of the pack behind to remain here. But for a dragon… Well, meeting a dragon is an experience that should be granted to everyone if possible. Besides, you said Scott McCall needed an army."

Stepping back into the room, where his forty-five other pack members were waiting, Titus nods and says, "I do believe we can help give him that."

* * *

"Scott!" He glances back at Nixie, who is still on the ground with Deucalion. Scales out all over her body, blood leaking from the new wound in her chest, she says, "I can freeze them!" But he shakes his head, "Malia and Lydia are too close!" "I can move it around them!" "Are you sure?!"

She doesn't answer that. When she was targeting one gun, or even just two, she could be spot on. But this wasn't just one person. It was the entire area. And even when she'd done this to the ghost riders, even though she hadn't frozen Lydia who was standing with her, Lydia had ended up needing to get wrapped up in a werewolf's arms afterwards.

There were more people and more bullets that needed to be stopped this time. And with Lydia and Malia… and yes, even Peter… so close to the line of fire, Nixie couldn't say with a hundred percent accuracy, that she wouldn't also give them frostbite in the process.

Scott gives her a look that says he understands her frustration with that, but then says, "Just…" As bullets drive into the column he was peeking around, he jerks back into hiding for a moment. Snarling, he shouts, "Malia!" The were-coyote looks towards the sound of his voice, but she can't move. Neither can Lydia. Peter moves, simply to try and draw some of the fire away from his daughter. That one redeeming quality of his rearing its head again. But it only does helps a little.

Nixie then spots a lone gunman who has managed to sneak around to their side. Leveling his automatic rifle at Scott, he's about to pull the trigger. "SCOTT!" "I see him!"

But before either of them have to worry about it, the familiar rumbling of what could only be Stiles' jeep roars towards them. It slams into the gunman without hesitation.

And Nixie can't help the burst of laughter that comes out when Stiles shoots his head out the window to shout, "Hey! You didn't think you were doing this without me, did you?!" And then Derek appears by Stiles' side and asks, "Without us?" Stiles rolls his eyes as the blue-eyed werewolf roars at two other men who are trying to charge the jeep. Launching at them, he slams them into the ground, knocking them unconscious.

He would've gone after the others, except Scott shouted, "Derek, get Malia!" Scott then glances at Nixie, nodding firmly for her to get on board with what he wants to happen. Nodding back, she looks to Deucalion in front of her. He was still bleeding from his stomach a little, but was fine enough to run and fight. Jerking him up, he says, "Get Lydia."

He turns to do as he's been ordered, following after Derek to get the girls' to safety. Peter launches himself after them, all of them heading to the jeep for cover. Scott breaks from his hiding spot as well, and says, "Now, Nixie!"

Standing up straight, spinning to face the small army before them, Nixie's eyes light silver as her scales seem to shimmer for a moment as the moonlight passes over them.

Deucalion had seen, from the moment he'd first looked into her mind, how powerful she would become. But for a dragon still so young… he couldn't stop his eyes from bursting wide as the bullets bounced off her skin like flies, and at the temperature that suddenly plummeted around all of them.

The wave of cold that shot out of her was more like a pulse that sent a shock through the entire world in front of her. Roaring like a pterodactyl, ice shot from her mouth and hands, following the pulse of cold energy that she'd already sent out to disable the guns and crossbows of the men before her.

Scott wasn't even mad when, though he was still against killing people, Nixie's ice completely coated over at least two of the men in her path, freezing them in solid chunks of ice.

When her cry finally ended, she let out a huff of cold air before finally turning to join the others. Monroe's band of men were scurrying away, fleeing for their lives. Monroe herself… was staring at the frozen bodies on the ground for a moment in shock. But then she too hopped back into one of the vehicles, speeding away to regroup and continue on with their plan for the night.

As they're heading away, Stiles scrambles out of the jeep, nearly falling to the ground in the process. Scott catches him for a moment, but then blinks in surprise when Stiles flails free of him. Pointing at all of them, Nixie included as she approaches, he declares, "I can't believe you guys weren't going to tell me about any of this. Nothing. Not a single word."

Lydia crosses her arms, "We had our reasons. Really good reasons." Stiles rolls his eyes, "Yeah, apparently. For the record, if any of the rest of you had been taken into the wild hunt, I still would've told you about all of this shit. Immediately."

Pointing at Nixie sternly, he then holds out an arm to her and says, "Also for the record, the only reason you get a hug right now, is because you're the one who finally called me anyway." As Nixie launches at him, Derek puts a hand to Stiles' back so the young man doesn't fall down. Squeezing him tightly, Nixie sighs against him and says, "It's so good to see you." "Likewise. Nix… sorry, but you might actually be cracking some of my bones." "I don't care. I'll heal you." "Oh, well, in that case."

He hugs her back, grinning when she says, "FYI, just because I'm hugging you right now, doesn't mean I'm not going to still hit you in the head later. I'm still trying to figure out when you would've told me about what you were doing to find Derek if I hadn't ended up calling you when I did."

Stiles just kisses the top of her head, and then releases her. Pointing at Derek, Nixie adds, "Same goes for you. And you haven't been texting me or answering me for weeks. Not even from a payphone. What the hell?" Derek opens an arm out to her, smiling when she rushes in to hug him. Bending to kiss the top of her head, he says, "I've missed you too. And as soon as this is over, I will buy a new cell phone and never fail in giving you weekly updates again." "Good. I'm still smacking you in the head though." "Love you too, Nix." "Yeah, whatever."

She leans back at that, but blinks in surprise when Derek grips both of her arms in his hands. Holding her still, he tilts his head to the side, but there's no mistaking that his attention is still completely fixed on her.

Eyes widening, he jerks his head up to look at Scott, and then asks, "How long has she been like this?" Scott shrugs, "Eight weeks. But she's progressing faster than any human or supernatural ever has before. It appears to be moving at about double the normal pace."

Nixie glances between them for a moment, and then says, "Oh! You're hearing the two heartbeats. Obviously." Derek nods, and then they look over when Stiles asks, "What?! Why do you have…" But before he finishes asking, he sees that her stomach is a bit more protruded than normal.

Nixie's pretty sure she's never seen his eyes grow as wide as they are right now. And then he nearly falls down from spastically flailing around as he shouts, "You're pregnant! Since when?!" Nixie shrugs, "Since… well, I guess it was a month before I would've gone to school that it happened." Mouth falling open, Stiles demands, "And when were you going to tell me this?!" "After we stopped the war. Obviously."

While he opens and shuts his mouth at that, at a loss for words for once in his life, Nixie turns to Scott as he asks Deucalion how he's doing. Raising an eyebrow at Nixie, he answers, "Incredibly well, all things considered. The wound that should've killed me was taken away before I could make any objections."

When Scott turns to Nixie, mouth pressed in a firm line, she simply says, "Don't even start with me. Apart from the fact that he's our friend and I'm not about to just let him die while I'm standing over top of him, he's an ally, and we can't afford to lose any more of them than we already have. I'm not even bleeding anymore. Internally, everything feels fine. Now we just have to wait for the hole to close up."

Malia glances over Nixie's body. True, she wasn't bleeding anymore. But the blood still stained her chest and even down to her stomach where it had spread before stopping. Shaking her head, Malia says, "It's really happening, isn't it?" Stiles turns to her, shaking himself out of his shell-shock. "What's happening?"

Scott sighs and says, "Its all-out war."

Everyone pauses for a moment to take that in, and then Scott looks up at Derek. Shaking his head while smiling, he walks up to him and says, "It's about time you showed up." "Yeah. Sorry about that."

Then everyone rolls their eyes as Peter says, "As much as I enjoy the impromptu family reunion… what are you doing here?" Derek raises an eyebrow, so Peter concedes, "Granted, the fact that Scott and Nixie both need you here is definitely reason enough. So I guess my question is, what took you so long to get here? Where the hell have you been?"

Crossing his arms, Derek explains, "I found a pack slaughtered in Brazil. There were two words written in blood on the wall. Beacon Hills." Deucalion raises an eyebrow, "So, you came back for Beacon Hills?" "No."

He nods towards Scott and Nixie, and then says, "I came back for them. My true alpha, and our own personal blue dragon." Nixie and Scott look at each other, and then Scott grins when Nixie beams at him while saying, "Well, obviously. We're kind of awesome, in case no one else noticed."

Stiles grins at that, but then asks, "So… is anyone going to tell me why there's a new scar on Nixie's left temple?"

But before they can get into that, the static crackles to life on Stiles' radio in the jeep. And Nixie can't hold back a brief snarl as Gerard's voice says from the other end, " _Blood and destruction. Dreadful objects so familiar. All pity choked with custom of fell deeds. Caesar's spirit, ranging for revenge."_

As everyone moves closer to the jeep, Nixie feels her phone going off in her pocket. Pulling it out, she asks, "Yeah Mase?" "It was a trap!"

His voice is whispered, but no less anxious. Tensing up, Nixie asks, "Hospital?" "Yeah. Corey and I… we were lured here. I don't think it was Nolan's fault… but Monroe or somebody must've known this was going to happen. We can feel it." Nixie nods, "Where are you, exactly?" "Third floor. Not sure which room exactly. We just ducked into a dark one and are hiding. Nixie, I don't know how much longer we can talk. They'll be jamming the phones any second. But Liam's still here, and so are the other werewolves hooked to the machines. She's separating us. And we…"

The line crackles for a moment, and Nixie asks, "Mason, are you…" And then she hears her phone beep to inform her that the call's been dropped. Mason hadn't been kidding. They hadn't had much time at all.

Hurrying over to the jeep with the others, she catches the tail end of what Gerard was saying. Then the twisted old man asks, " _Do you know the rest, Scott? Do you know your Shakespeare_?" Scott glances back at Nixie, where she'd managed to climb into the backseat behind Stiles. Derek interjects, "I know it." Scott nods, but says, "But if he doesn't already know you're back, we want to keep that to ourselves."

Nixie nods that she knows it too, and he holds the mike to her lips so she can say, "Cry 'havoc' and let slip the dogs of war." Gerard chuckles, " _War, indeed. Good evening Mrs. Parrish. I suppose you know all about the dogs of war. Or the dogs of hell at least._ " Nixie snarls, though Scott is no longer holding the mike, so it makes no difference.

He apparently guesses that she snarled though, because he chuckles again. " _And I've been informed that a blue-eyed wolf and a blue jeep have made their presences known. Welcome back, Derek and Stiles. Oh, you must all be feeling rather nostalgic. Are you enjoying the little family reunion I've gathered around you, Scott?"_ Lifting the mike, Scott replies, "Yeah. Why don't you come join us so I can thank you in person?"

Unfazed, Gerard says, " _I even have a few visitors for you… from London. Even someone like Jackson Whittemore, couldn't resist coming back to Beacon Hills. Say hello, Jackson!"_ As Jackson's tortured grunts and yells come over the radio, Lydia hides her face against Stiles' neck. He holds her tight, but turns his head when Nixie says, "He's fine."

Lydia looks up at her, tears welling in her eyes. But Jackson's voice can then be heard over the radio as he says, " _Do it again old man. Come a little closer. I'm gonna shove that thing so far up your ass!"_ Gerard laughs, " _He's lost none of his charm, has he?_ "

Nixie grips Scott's hand, pulling the mike closer to her mouth. He presses the button on instinct so she can talk and be heard, and then everyone grins when Nixie says, "No. In fact, I'd dare say he's gained some. Hi Jackson."

And before Gerard can stop him from talking, Jackson says back, " _What's happening, Nix?_ " His grunts can be heard again after that, clearly shocked again by Gerard's baton. But Nixie nods at Lydia and says, "He's fine. He can take more than they think he can. He's fine."

Then Gerard says, _"You can find him here with us at the armory, Scott. In fact… I'm going to tell you where to find all of them."_ Everyone can hear his smirk when he starts with, _"Nixie's young deputy hellhound met some friends of his while responding to a call at Eichen House. And I admit, I didn't think we'd get him to show up. You and he have been so cautious about where he goes to still perform his duty. But all we had to do was mention the name 'Bennett', and he came running."_

Nixie's snarl shakes the entire jeep, and Lydia has to step aside. Stiles doesn't attempt to get out, not planning on leaving Nixie. Scott scoots closer to share his warmth, and then nods in a small bit of appreciation when Peter steps closer to help keep Stiles' other side and Lydia warm.

Gerard chuckles, " _Your father, Scott, was on his way back from San Francisco with the goal of entering the fight… but he didn't get far. He's in a cell at the station. And you might want to tell your mother to skip her shift at the hospital tonight. Liam and his friends are there now. Optimistic of them… but woefully ill-advised."_

Some of the cold seeps out of the air at that. Scott and Stiles both look at each other, confused for a moment as to what had happened to calm Nixie down. But before they can ask, Gerard continues in a hard voice, " _This is how you wage a war, Scott. A strategic positioning of your army against theirs. Which is why, you will come to me. You will try to save as many as you can. And you might even save a few. But… your limited resources will be spread thin. And ultimately… you will fail. The dogs of war are coming for you, Scott. They are coming, for you!"_

As that end of the conversation stops, letting nothing but static ring through the air for a moment, Stiles jumps as Nixie scrambles to get back out of the jeep. Scott hurries too, and when Nixie's feet hit the ground, she blinks in surprise when her arm is held tight in his hand. "What?" Scott shakes his head, "You can't leave yet. We need a plan." "I know that."

When he blinks in surprise, Nixie rolls her eyes. "Look, I get it. I'm the overprotective dragon, who usually rides or flies at speeds that make the NASA shuttles look like they're moving in slow motion. And I usually don't wait for a reason or explanation. I just go. But this is different. This isn't just a single battle to fight and win. This is a war, with several battles happening all at once. So I am fully aware that we need a strategy."

Pulling her arm away, she adds, "I hate history. That doesn't mean I'm not paying attention in class. Geez."

Then she turns her eyes to Deucalion. Crossing her arms, she says, "Gerard said they were coming for Scott. Why?" Deucalion smiles, because he'd thought he'd have to explain that to everyone. But Nixie was catching on to it. When Scott starts to say that he'd obviously meant everyone, Deucalion stops him, "No, Scott. Gerard meant you."

Back to Nixie, he says, "The creature that is out there, is capitalizing on everyone's fear. Whether it be of the unknown, the supernatural… or simply a fear of being afraid itself." Then he holds his hand out towards Scott and says, "And I give you Gerard's greatest fear."

Nixie grins while Scott asks, "What? But… I'm…" Deucalion grins, "Gerard's greatest fear, is that he can't beat you. He'll never be able to. And he knows it."

They all go silent for a moment, and then Nixie claps her hands together, "Alright, so let's get to making a plan." Peter blinks at her, "Just like that? We just make a plan? What if we can't? What if we lose?" Nixie just shakes her head, "There you go, asking the wrong kind of 'what if' questions again."

To Scott, she says, "Gerard's right about one thing. We are always, though woefully ill-advised, ridiculously optimistic. Which is why we make plans. It's why we save people. And it's why we're going to win."

Scott grins at her, and then can't help laughing when she salutes him and says, "So, point me in the direction you wish me to fly, and I will fire up the cockpit and make haste, oh captain my captain."

Lydia raises an eyebrow, "The Dead Poets Society? Right now? Really?" "Hey, Robin Williams is a genius. Nobody hate." Stiles nods, and then adds, "And as for the sarcasm, that's a definite always. It's when she stops using it that we should really be worried." "Exactly!"

* * *

When Theo saw Nixie's name pop up on his screen, he's not ashamed to admit that he had to do a double-take to make sure he was seeing things correctly. It's why he didn't answer on the first two rings. And then, when he did answer, Nixie's first question ended up being, "What's wrong with you? Why didn't you answer immediately?" "I… um…"

Sighing, he runs a hand through his hair, "Honestly, I just… couldn't believe you were calling me."

A pause follows that admission, and then Nixie says gently, "You're getting better. I meant that." Then she returns to being blunt and says, "But never dally on answering my calls again. We are in deep shit, and have no time for such nonsense. Got it?" "Got it." "Good. Now, where are you?" "Currently, I'm at the shack. I got more food for…" "Good, you're close. Drop whatever you're doing and get back in your truck."

Theo hands his bags of supplies off to a young werewolf, and as he hops back in the truck, he asks, "Where am I going?" "The hospital. We have no idea where, other than the third floor. Liam, Mason, and Corey are all there. And they're being hunted and chased down by hunters, who are jamming the phone signals there." "Alright. And you want me to find them?"

He blinks when she says, "No, I want you to just go and stand there in the middle of the hall like an idiot and get shot. Obviously, I want you to find them!" Then she sighs, "Okay, sorry. I am stressed. Yes, go and find them. Try to get them out of there. At the very least, try to get them somewhere safer than they already are. I'm coming to meet you there. Well, granted that something else catastrophic doesn't happen to change my flight plan." "I'm on it." "And Theo?"

He waits for her to finish, and then his eyes widen when she says, "Be careful." He nods affirmatively, and then remembers she can't see him and says, "I will." "You just nodded at the air, didn't you?" "Kind of." He grins when she actually laughs, and then she says, "See you there."

Hanging up, she returns to the backroom of the clinic and asks, "So, can I go now?" Scott gives her a look and says, "We have one part of the plan set for now. We need all the parts first. Just… get in here."

As she comes back to the table, Stiles says, "Okay, now where was I? Oh yeah! So, it's literally day one of my internship, and up comes this slide about this guy that they've been chasing in the woods in North Carolina." Nixie is about to tell Stiles that he needs to speed up his story. She loves him, but they are definitely on a tight schedule here.

But upon hearing North Carolina, she points to Malia in agreement when the coyote asks, "I thought you were in South America." Derek nods, "I was. The bodies of the werewolves I told you about? They blamed me." Stiles nods, "Right. So, I learn that the FBI has cornered this feral, mass-murdering, unsub…"

Nixie is about to tell him to speed up again… except she doesn't have to. And she even smiles when Derek simply cuts Stiles off, "I found a group of hunters gathering in a meeting place. I was trying to get information." Sighing, Stiles says, "Well, the FBI found out about it too. And they were planning a SWAT assault to take him down. Dead or alive. And, as we all know, with Derek, it's preferably dead." Derek rolls his eyes, but then smiles when Nixie frowns and says in what he thinks is the most adorably cute voice he's ever heard, "I don't prefer him dead. I prefer him alive. Very much alive."

Stiles tosses his hands up in the air, probably about to complain that his story keeps getting interrupted. But Derek gives him a look before then grabbing hold of Nixie's arm. Pulling her up against him, he hugs her tight and says, "I really have missed you." "Likewise. So you should never leave again. Ever."

He chuckles, and then they both turn as Stiles flails his arms at them. "Anyway! So, once I figured out that they were probably going to try and kill Derek, I convinced them to take me on the field op." Lydia just stares at him for a second, and then asks in an incredulous tone, "You convinced the FBI to bring an intern onto an extremely dangerous field operation?"

Nixie smiles when Derek comments, "I'm surprised he didn't convince them he could lead it." And then she bursts out laughing when Stiles admits, "I tried. Didn't work."

Both boys grin at each other, and then smile wider when Nixie sighs, "Man, I really have missed you guys." Stiles winks at her, and then says, "So… anyway, long story short, I basically, you know, had to save Derek's life."

Nixie tilts her head, and then leans closer to Derek and whispers, "Not really?" Derek shakes his head, and then says louder, "Yeah, that's not what happened?" Stiles throws up his hands, "So, I may have left out a detail, but that's the gist of what happened. It was the essential essence of it."

The two men look at each other for a moment, and then Derek says, "You couldn't walk." "I was limping!" "You couldn't walk, and I know that because I was carrying you." "They shot my toe! You wanna see it?! My toe was caught in the crossfire, it was obliterated." Lydia sighs, "Okay, forget your toe." "But… obliterated."

Stiles sees Nixie preparing to move towards him from the corner of his eye. Pointing to Derek, he says quickly, "Hold her." Derek tightens his grip on Nixie automatically. He gives Stiles a confused expression… but it's not like hugging Nixie tighter was ever a problem. Upon seeing Derek's face, realizing he doesn't understand, Stiles says, "I just told her that my toe has been obliterated, and I'm one of her boys. You don't think she's getting ready to come over here so she can try to fix that? Let's be real, people. Please."

When all eyes turn to Nixie, she says, "What?! He's my boy, I'm allowed." Stiles just gives her a look, "Not when you're pregnant." To which Nixie snaps her eyes to Scott and says, "See?! This is what I was talking about! I am not to be babied." Scott just shakes his head at all of them, and then says, "Look… guys, we need to focus."

But before he can continue, Nixie's phone briefly comes to life. Grabbing and answering swiftly, she asks, "Mason?" His voice can just barely be heard for a split second, and then the call is dropped again. Sighing, Nixie pleads, "Scott?!"

He finally nods to her, and then says, "Be careful. And as soon as you're back out of the range of the jammer, call me." "You got it." And with that, she strips off the shirt she'd put on, sprints from the building, and takes off into the sky.

She briefly considers going after Jordan first. It's not like Scott could stop her or talk her out of it at this point. But, her alpha had told her that he had already put a plan into motion on that front. Jordan would be fine, he'd promised. Nixie just needed to be patient.

She's not gonna lie though. This entire night, not to mention the past month or so, has put a serious test to her patience.

* * *

As Nixie flies through the air, focusing on getting to Liam and the others as soon as possible, a small team of hunters on the ground were sitting in the back of a large pickup truck. One of them held a rocket launcher on his shoulder, eyes scanning the sky.

Sighing, he asks, "Is the old man actually positive she's gonna come? We've been here for thirty minutes." Another one sitting down in the bed says, "Just keep scanning for a cold spot. Gerard is certain." "And he's certain she'll be flying?" "Apparently. Something his daughter told him, I guess." "Yeah, about that. Isn't that bitch supposed to be a jaguar, or something?" "Yes. But don't worry. Gerard has plans for her as soon as we're done with this town."

They both chuckle, and then a monitor strapped to the man's arm beeps. Hurriedly positioning the launcher on his shoulder more securely, he says, "Tell me when you've got a visual." The one sitting down hops up, binoculars quickly pulled up to his eyes so he can see.

The dark blue streak that jets before them is fleeting at best, but the monitor goes berserk for a moment, and the man with the binoculars shouts, "Now!" Pulling the trigger, they watch as the missile shoots up into the sky.

Unlike most missiles, this one had been reworked so that instead of hunting down a heat signature, it would hunt down the coldest signature it could find in the sky. And when there was a blue dragon in the air… well, there was literally nothing colder in the world in comparison.

Nixie hears something whishing towards her in the air, an almost high-pitched whistling sound coming with it. But by the time she turns to see what's going on, it's too late to dodge it. Her scales erupt over her entire body, and she quickens her already fast pace. But she hadn't been prepared for fucking missiles.

As it slams into her back, exploding in a harsh display of fire, power, and light; Nixie's head rattles, and she begins plummeting towards the ground. Well… not the ground. Before her vision blurred and the darkness crept in, Nixie distinctly felt her body splash… or maybe crash was a better word… into the water of the river below.

In the back of her mind, she's also pretty sure a pair of hands grabs hold of her about two seconds after that, followed also by what sounded like another barrage of bullets raining down nearby. But before she can try to process what that all might mean, her eyes finally darken, and she blacks out still underneath the roaring current of the river.

* * *

"Blindness."

Still in the clinic for now, Derek can't help it. He shakes his head and asks incredulously, "Becoming blind? Your greatest fear is blindness?" But Stiles doesn't even care. He just admits, "Yeah. Terrified of it. Always have been. Well… actually, I used to be afraid of clowns. But then my dad took me and Nixie to the circus, and Nixie punched one of them in the face when he started coming towards us. Then I moved onto blindness. But, anyways…"

Scott moves onto explaining where everyone needed to go for their parts of the plan. Lydia and Stiles to get Chris and go save Jackson. Stiles brings up the fact that they are, essentially, about to do exactly what Gerard wants them to do, by separating and moving to save everyone at the same time.

Derek is listening… but he's also pondering what Stiles just said. About how he'd been afraid of clowns when he was younger, and had only grown out of that fear when Nixie had basically clobbered it for him. Nixie was always their source of comfort. She lifted the weight off of their shoulders. And though she claimed that she was never fearless… there were times when he knew they all felt that her mere presence made it possible to cast their own fears aside, leaving them as forgotten so long as they were with her.

As Scott suggests, "I think if we stop the Anuk-Ite, we stop it all," Derek asks, "Stopping this thing can stop Gerard… and the hunters?" Scott shakes his head, "Not all of them are hunters." Lydia nods, "He's right. Most of them are ordinary people, acting out of fear."

Scott sighs, "Monroe's not gonna change. That much we know, thanks to Nixie. But I do think we can reach the others. I mean… Nixie already reached Blakely." Malia frowns, "I didn't think she was someone who was ever against us." "She wasn't, but she wasn't exactly on our side either. Not until Nixie saved her life."

The part where Nixie saved the young deputy wasn't surprising at all, which is why everyone gets a little confused when Derek suddenly adds, "Nixie showed her she didn't need to be afraid… because Nixie was there to make sure of it."

When everyone gives him a confused look, Derek asks, "Has she felt it? The fear that the Anuk-Ite instills? I can tell the rest of you have. Scott's heartrate goes up thinking about facing it again, knowing what it can make you feel. But has Nixie?" Shrugging, Malia says, "I don't think so. But maybe she just hasn't been around where it's been. Maybe…

But Scott shakes his head, "No… no, it was there the night in the woods. When I attacked Noah because I was so afraid and so sure he was a hunter. It was there. It was still affecting me until…" Blinking, Scott adds, "Until she got to me. Oh my God."

Lydia's still confused, "What? What did I miss?" But Derek keeps his eyes on Scott as he asks, "Has she felt anything that could even possibly be it? Anything? Think." Scott nods, "Yeah. Yeah, she mentioned feeling something at the hospital the night this all started. When Liam showed up with the rat he wanted my mom to look at. She said she felt like something frightening was about to happen. But…" Derek tilts his head, "But what?" "Well… it's just… the fear we've been feeling is overbearing. It makes us feel like we're literally being pressed in on, almost crushed, by the fear itself. But Nixie… she describes it as having a moment or two of feeling something scary is about to happen, and then she pushes past it and moves on. So… I mean, what if it's not…

But Derek shakes his head while smiling, "She doesn't feel it as strongly because fear is not a weakness for her. The only true weakness she ever had was a fear of loneliness. And with Jordan as a mate, and all of us as a pack, that fear is canceled out and void." Looking around at the others, a confident grin now on his face, he adds, "Which means we have ourselves a fully-realized blue dragon. One that fear has no sway over."

Stiles tilts his head, "Not that I'm not in agreement that Nixie is a total badass… but she's pointed out on several occasions that she's not fearless." "No, she's not. But she has always pushed past her fears, focusing her energy on finding a solution to whatever problem is causing her to be afraid at all. She focuses on protecting the people around her that she cares about. And when she does that, nothing else matters. Not her fear, not how hurt she might get. Nothing."

Scott grins too now, and says, "So a blue dragon with people to fight for, can't be destroyed by fear. It anything, it just pushes her to strive and perform even greater feats than we've already seen." Derek nods, "We need her on the Anuk-Ite. Can you call her back?"

But when Scott tries and doesn't get an answer, he has Lydia try. And then Malia. And then Stiles and Derek both try at the same time. And yes, it was possible she'd already made it to the hospital. But Nixie was also bulletproof, and would easily be able to get Mason, Corey, Liam, and even Theo to safety once she arrived. So she should've already made it back out and past the range of the cell jammer.

Which meant something was wrong. Incredibly wrong.

And at any other time, it might've been humorous when every single one of them said at the exact same time, "Son of a bitch!"

* * *

Nixie's not sure how long she's been out. She's not sure she wants to know. A dread that she's only felt one other time in her life settles in the pit of her stomach. What if she'd been out for a whole day? What if she'd even been out for just an hour? What had happened to her friends in that amount of time? Were they all okay?

Were they all still alive?

Nixie feels her mouth get pulled gently so it's open, and then she has a sudden urge to choke as water begins coming up out of her throat. But… surprisingly, that sensation dies down rather quickly. Water was pulled from her lungs and out of her body gently, as though the current of a gentle river had suddenly decided to switch directions. The only thing making her want to choke, was the fact that it felt so weird.

Eyes snapping open, Nixie looks up into the eyes of a young woman with fair skin. Her black hair had a streak of red in it that was woven in with some of the black so a tiny braid laid against the rest of her long hair. Her light brown eyes were wide, and…

Nixie thinks she probably should've noticed first that the young woman was naked. Completely naked. And then, Nixie's eyes widen as she realizes that the water that has just gotten drawn out of her lungs is being held in midair. The young woman's hand hovered in front of it, as though holding it in place with some invisible glass.

With a swipe of her hand, the water is tossed aside though, and the young woman immediately then places her hands on Nixie's stomach. Her scales were still there, much to Nixie's relief. But that didn't stop her from snarling at this stranger who was now touching the place on her body that was the holding such precious cargo.

Eyes snapping up to Nixie's, she says, "I'm… I'm just checking on the baby." Nixie blinks, hearing and sensing nothing but the truth in that statement. But the girl was, literally, not doing anything that Nixie could see, except placing her hands on her stomach. Finally, Nixie asks, "How?"

Sighing in relief, the woman says, "Um… I… the womb is full of fluid. I can… sort of use a kind of sonar to sense and feel things surrounded by water. So… that's how. And your baby is fine."

Well… that is a relief. But then Nixie narrows her eyes and asks, "Who the hell are you?" The girl's eyes widen, and then she tucks her soaking wet hair behind her ears and says, "Um… Cierra."

Nixie stares at her for a moment, briefly confused about why that name was supposed to mean anything to her. But, then she remembers… "Cierra? As in, Cierra Mitchell? As in, the girl who is supposed to be my roommate at Stanford?" She nods shyly, and then jumps when Nixie asks, "What the hell are you doing here?! And why aren't you wearing any clothes?! And why are you soaking wet?!"

Cierra casts her eyes over Nixies drenched frame, to which Nixie says, "Don't change the subject. I remember hitting the water, I know why I'm soaked to the bone. I'm asking why you are." Nodding, Cierra then says, "I… I was on my way here… to try and find you. I… I'm only here because of you."

When the girl continues to pause and worry over every single word she's about to say, Nixie allows an annoyed rumble to sound in the back of her throat. Eyes shining silver, she says, "I really don't think I need to be afraid of you. But this entire town has officially lost its God-damn mind. So you need to quit pausing and hesitating, and get on with explaining what the hell is going on. Because I will kick your ass and leave you for dead, if you don't hurry the hell up."

She does pause one more time, trying to gather her wits. Then she says, "I'm here for you, because you're the blue dragon. I… I've been looking for you for over a year. I'm not wearing any clothes… because my jeans tore and ripped when I shifted, and my shirt is your pillow."

Nixie glances back to where her head had been on the ground, noting that a green shirt was definitely there. Then she turns back to Cierra, who says, "And I'm wet, because I jumped into the water after you, and saved you."

Now Nixie pauses, and Cierra waits with baited breath for the dragon's reaction. And she blinks in surprise when Nixie stands up and says bluntly, "Firstly, thanks for saving my life. Secondly, we need to find you some more pants. Thirdly, what are you?" Cierra asks, "You don't want to know why I've been looking for you? Or how I managed to be at the river exactly when you ended up almost drowning in it?" "Of course I want to know all that! But I was in the process of trying to help save my friends when I was so rudely shot out of the sky. For now, I need to know what you are, so I can figure out if you can be helpful or not."

Cierra blinks again, so Nixie gentles her tone and says, "I'm a sarcastic individual, blunt in times when it's necessary, and I change for no one. I will have loads of questions later, trust me. But for right now, I need to know if you're willing to fight with me, or if I need to send you some place safe." Standing up with her, Cierra says, "I'm… well, I prefer siren." Nixie tilts her head, so Cierra steps back into the river behind her.

Her body shifts immediately, her legs merging into one, scales of her own appearing over her skin. Fins form at the bottom where her feet were, and her eyes shine a bright seafoam color.

Nixie stares for all of a second, and then asks, "You're a mermaid?" "I prefer siren." "Okay, sure. But just for this brief moment… you are essentially, a mermaid." "Well… yeah."

And Cierra can't help but smile, even as her eyebrows come together in confusion, when Nixie shoots her hands straight up in the air and shouts, "Finally! I knew it! It's about damn time one of you showed up. Do you know how long I've been waiting to find one of you? Like, ever since this whole thing started with Scott turning into a werewolf. Yes!"

She allows herself about three seconds to bask in that small victory. Then she reminds herself that her husband was being frozen alive, her friends were in the hospital under attack, some others were held in the armory and being tortured, and others still were on the hunt for the Anuk-Ite in a place that Nixie hadn't stayed to figure out before leaving for the hospital. Consequently, a hospital she still hasn't managed to make it too.

Cierra's legs have reformed and she's back out of the water when Nixie grips her arms in her hands. A desperate edge in her voice, she asks, "How long have I been out?" Cierra blinks, but remembers that she's not supposed to pause, because there isn't time. Working on trying to give her a good timeframe, she says, "Ten… maybe twenty minutes. There were hunters along the riverbank that started shooting almost as soon as you hit the water. I had to keep us under until I could find a safe place to bring you ashore."

Nixie's eyes widen, "I was underwater for twenty minutes?" "Yeah… but you were only under without my help for… about two."

When that does not seem to explain to Nixie why she didn't drown, Cierra pulls a scale from her own body, as though it were as easy as removing a glove or a piece of jewelry. The shimmery and soft substance seems to reflect whatever light hits it, giving it the appearance of not having any one color, but a multitude depending on which way you turned it.

Cierra then places that scale against Nixie's lips. She jerks back at first, not understanding. Plus… well, it feels really freaking weird. But then… she can actually feel her lungs expand inside her body. As though they somehow are becoming more durable, more advanced. And then Cierra explains, "I did that as quickly as I could while we were under the water. It allows you to breathe like me, for a short period of time."

Nixie stares for a moment, and then shakes her head at herself. Making an 'X' motion with her hands, she says, "Nope, we don't have time." At Cierra's confused expression, Nixie grabs her hand and begins pulling them further into the woods. Sighing, she says, "I have questions. So many questions. We could probably sit by the river for half a day, trying to get all of them answered. But, as I said before, we don't have time for that. So come on."

When Nixie is certain she's reached a place that no one could shoot her from or have followed her two, she unfolds her wings. Reaching for Cierra, she explains, "I'm gonna drop you off some place safe. I know I said I was gonna ask you to fight, but that seems rather unfair considering how little I know you right now."

Cierra nods, though she adds, "I can fight, if you need it." "Oh, believe me. If I end up needing it, you will definitely know it. Trust me.

* * *

And that's Chapter 10 - part 1. I hope to have part 2 posted sometime later today. Yay! :)


	12. Chapter 10 - Part 2

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I maker her do or say."

* * *

Chapter 10: Episode 6x20 (Part 2)

As Theo drags Liam back into the elevator with him, pulling him out of the line of fire, he swipes the beanie off his head. Sighing in relief, he then looks to Liam, who asks, "What are you doing here?!" "From the looks of it, saving your ass. What exactly were you going to do?" "Run down the hall and…"

He pauses, because he really hadn't had a plan after that. Theo nods, and then says, "Hit four." Liam punches it quickly, and then asks, "Why?" "Because I'm pretty sure I smelled Corey's scent moving up further into the hospital. I didn't see anything… but with Corey, that doesn't mean much. And if Corey's up there, Mason's with him."

Liam nods, and then asks, "How did you even know to look here?" "Nixie sent me." A pause, and then Liam asks, "Nixie… called you?" "Yeah. Shocking for me too. I wasn't even aware she actually had my number." Liam nods, and as the doors to the elevator open again, they hurry out and into hall and find an empty room to hide in.

Theo glances down at his phone for the time, and then curses before saying, "Something's wrong." "What do you mean?" "Nixie sent me here, and told me that she was coming pretty soon after she hung up. I half expected her to get here before me. And she's not here yet."

They both look at each other, and as Liam's eyes shine gold, he says, "We need to get out of here." "Agreed. How do you want to handle that?"

He ponders that a moment, and then shrugs, "Well… Nixie certainly wouldn't be standing in here, hiding while these jackasses try to take over what will one day be her hospital." Theo raises an eyebrow, "Yeah, well, Nixie's also bullet-proof." "And even if she weren't, she still wouldn't stand here hiding."

They stare at each other hard for a moment, and then Liam blinks in surprise when Theo concedes, "Point taken. So… do we find Corey and Mason first? Or do we assume they're still safe, and head back down to fight."

Liam grins, "Nixie's right. You are getting better." Then he turns towards the door and says, "We fight."

* * *

Nixie would've continued on towards the hospital, she really would've. After she'd dropped Cierra off at the restaurant with Winston, with strict instructions to find the girl some clothes and to keep her new friend safe, Nixie had blasted back into the sky, leaving a chilling frost in her wake as she began heading back in the direction.

But before she could get to there, Derek called her. "Yeah Derek?" "We need you at the school. Now!" "Why?! What's…" "Scott's been shot. It's yellow wolfsbane. And Nixie… it will kill him."

There's a scuffle heard over the line, and then Nixie hears Scott's voice say, "Don't bring her here. She can't…" But Derek continues, "Nixie, Scott told me you took poison from Brett. And I know it weakens you… but it won't kill you. Scott doesn't want you to come… but it will kill him, if you don't." "I'm already on my way. And tell my true alpha that I'm going to give him a concussion for suggesting I do otherwise."

After she hangs up, she can't help muttering, "Seriously, what is it with these people and trying to tell me not to come save them? Do they even know me at all?" Then she rethinks that, and can't help smiling when she says, "Yeah… I guess that's why they try to tell me not to come. Oh well. Too late."

When she gets to the school, she bursts straight through the doors, and doesn't stop flying until she catches the sick scent of wolfsbane burning through a werewolf. Wings going back in, she runs into that room, and finds Derek trying to hold Scott up off the floor.

Turning to look at her, he says, "I burned out what I could, but there's still some that worked its way into the bloodstream. It's a fast moving form of wolfsbane, that's why it's so lethal." Nixie nods, falling to her knees next to Scott. Taking his hand in hers, she notes Derek's eyes widening upon seeing the silver lines begin crawling up her arms. "That's how you take internal injuries?"

Nixie shakes her head, "No… just what's injected in the bloodstream. I think I still can't take some internal things. Like when Lydia was locked inside her own mind… I couldn't fix that. Or when Noah had an actual piece of bone marrow still inside of him. I couldn't take that either. But… I think something about the fact that this is liquid… somehow less tangible than any of the other stuff… somehow it means I can take it."

In terms of how much she had to take right now, it wasn't a whole lot. The amount she'd taken from Brett was far worse in that respect. Derek had done a good job in quickly trying to burn out as much as he could before it spread.

Thank God he was back.

But yellow wolfsbane was still more toxic. So even though Nixie was only taking a fraction of what she'd taken before… she felt her body slumping and weakening in response.

Eyes narrowing as black ooze begins to leak from Nixie's nose, Derek says, "Scott said it wouldn't kill you." "It won't. This is just… Deaton said this is my body's way of getting rid of it. I'll… be fine."

Her shortness of breath wasn't very reassuring for Derek, but before he could comment on that, he felt it. Fear. Terror like he'd never known before. It was all around him. Suffocating him.

He was about to immediately try to go hunt for it, except a cold hand clamped down on his shoulder. Silver eyes meet his glowing blue ones, and Nixie says with a bit of growl in her voice, "Do… not… look at it."

She sounded like she was having some sort of version of an asthma attack. She was clearly feeling worse than she would like to admit to him, or anyone else. But Derek felt it nonetheless. At her touch, the fear subsided. Cupping her face in one hand, he says, "I will do my very best for you." "Derek, you can't…" "We'll be fine. Just help Scott. And wait for Stiles." Nixie blinks, "Stiles?" "Yes. Scott thinks he knows how to trap the creature. We need Stiles. Understand?"

She nods weakly, shaking her head to try and dispel some of the weariness she feels. She tries to tighten her grip on Derek's shoulder, but he removes her hand easily enough, and then heads out into the hall to try and locate the creature.

Nixie then feels a spasm of weakness and pain like she's never known before enter her body. Head shifting without her permission, teeth extending and scales erupting, she rears back and roars into the air as loudly as her body will allow. But she never lets go. Not until she begins to feel the last bits of poison being extracted from Scott's body.

As his eyes open up, his body rejuvenating as the poison leaves his body, Nixie asks, "What part… of do not die on me… do you people… seem to not… understand?" She slumps back against the desk behind her, wincing and gripping at her side. She feels like she might be about to throw up, which would probably be helpful at this point.

Scott takes a minute to assure she won't fall over. Wiping at a drip of black that was leaking from her nose, he says, "I told him not to call you." "Which makes you a dumbass. Come here." He grins as he leans closer, accepting her light slap to his head. It did worry him how tired and gentle that slap seemed to be. They needed to get her to Deaton again so he could force the poison out the way he had last time.

But first… and Scott didn't like it, but first they did have to deal with the Anuk-Ite.

As Scott makes to leave, Nixie says, "Scott… don't…" He turns back to her with a gentle smile, and says, "I know what I'm doing. Trust me. If you can get back up before this is over, try to help the others. And if Stiles finds you before he finds me… get him to me. Immediately."

Nixie nods, and then watches as her alpha leaves the room. She tries to get up on her own, but proceeds to feel her stomach turnover inside of her. Flipping over, she pukes up whatever she had managed to eat that day.

Note to self, being in situations that made her revert to old eating habits while having a baby… probably not a good idea.

Wiping at her mouth when she's finished, she admits, "Well… I feel a little better, in any case." Putting a hand on her stomach, gently rubbing where her child is, Nixie comments, "I will have to make sure and thank you for never making me have this morning sickness that I've heard about in books. Because that seriously would've sucked."

* * *

In the restaurant, where everyone had decided to come for the night, Cierra lifts her head, along with everyone else, at what sounded like a dinosaur roaring into the night. Bianca, Carson, and Marcus all look at each other in surprise. Their time in Beacon Hills had been short, but they knew by now that usually the sounds that made the shapeshifters turn their heads, were usually also sounds that humans couldn't here. But they'd definitely heard that dinosaur type of roar that seemed to be echoing through the night air.

But everyone else in the place knew better. It wasn't a dinosaur. It was a dragon. Their blue dragon. And judging from the tone and sound of the roar… she was in pain.

Every pair of eyes in the place lit up in response to the sound, which was quite a sight to see for the Parrish family. Satomi turns to look at everyone around her, noting their change in stance and appearance. Gone was any fear they had of being discovered or found here. Gone was their desire to be able to sit this out and pray for it to end peacefully.

They were ready to fight. They were ready to go out and fight for the blue dragon and her alpha, Scott McCall.

Nodding to everyone, including Cierra, Satomi says, "Let us go and see what we can do to help our friends and allies. For this war is not just on them. It is upon all of us. So let us not stand idly by and wait to see what happens."

Red eyes shining out at all of them, she says, "Let us make certain that we are worthy of all the sacrifices they have been making for us. A true alpha, and his blue dragon, have done all they can to help save us. Now, let us go out and return the favor."

And even Jordan's family, in spite of what they know is probably a great inability to be of any service at all, join them in leaving the safety of the building, and preparing to fight.

* * *

As Titus snaps a man's neck, Isaac can't help but feel a bit bad. Scott was all about saving people, and when they did finally find him, he wasn't going to lie and say that they hadn't killed a soul on the way here. The count was five now.

He also notes that, considering Titus, him, and the rest of the pack had encountered over a hundred hunters in the past hour alone, and had only killed five… well, he thinks that's a good ratio. Certainly one that Nixie would understand.

As he helps Kelly back to her feet, he also can't make himself feel sorry that the man is actually dead either. Could he have been saved? Maybe. But that also would've allowed for Kelly to continue being in danger. And there was only so much of that Titus was going to allow.

Hell, there was only so much of that that Isaac was going to tolerate either.

Brushing some of her long, tight braids back behind her ear, he asks, "Are you alright?" She nods immediately, cupping his hand in her own so she can press it against her cheek. Sighing in relief, she then admits, "I thought he was going to shoot you."

Isaac raises a teasing eyebrow, a grin on his lips before he says, "He might've tried. I'm faster than you give me credit for." "I'm still faster than you." "To be determined." "I am. It's…" Her already dark skin darkens a shade further when Isaac kisses the end of her nose. Winking at her, he then turns back to Titus, who says, "If you two are done, we need to keep moving."

He couldn't help grinning at his daughter though. She hadn't ever been taken with anyone, quite the way she was with Isaac. And the boy was a good one, so Titus could never really be upset with how they were acting around each other in his presence.

Plus, now he knew Isaac was a best friend of a blue dragon. It was still his daughter that Isaac was going to end up dating… but a blue dragon did earned him a lot leeway. Isaac might not really understand that… but it did.

As the others move back to join them, the pack regrouping for a moment, Titus turns to Isaac again and asks, "Which way?"

Isaac was going to answer that he wasn't sure. Technically, they were already in Beacon Hills, and already in the heart of it. They'd already been fending off hunters left and right. He wasn't sure which direction they needed to head now to be the most useful in this fight.

He was about to concede that point to Titus, when every head jerked at the cry of what sounded like a dinosaur ringing through the sky above them. Titus' eyes are wide for a moment, about to ask what creature exactly had made that sound.

But when he turns back to Isaac, the young man's eyes are glowing a brighter gold than he thinks he's ever seen. A snarl rips through his chest and out of his mouth before he can stop it, and Isaac's eyes snap in the direction of town before he says aloud, "Nixie."

Titus was quick to order everyone to follow after Isaac. Quick… because Isaac did not speak where he was going or inform them how he knew how to get there. He simply took off into the woods, his pace faster than any he'd ever set before in his life.

Nixie's distressed whisper of disbelief that she'd uttered the day they'd all seen Alison die, would forever be a sound that Isaac considered the most tortured and heartbroken he'd ever heard in his life. There had been anguish in it that was unfathomable to most, in spite of how softly spoken that one word had been.

This cry wasn't like that. It was loud and feral and angry and frustrated. But it was still a cry of pain. A cry Isaac had promised he'd do everything in his power to never hear again.

He honestly didn't care if the rest of the pack was keeping up with him or not. He just needed to get to Nixie. Now.

Kelly pumps her legs faster than she ever has before, trying to keep up with him. And as they continue into this place called Beacon Hills, she can't help rolling her eyes and laughing when her father says, "I give him this much. When it comes to the dragon, and needing to get to her? I'm sorry my dear, but he might actually be faster than you."

And Titus grins when she shines gold eyes over at him before saying, "We'll see about that."

* * *

"Look at him. Do you think he's dying?"

Jordan's eyes open to glare at the men standing outside of his freezing cell in Eichen. And at the fire that so clearly rests in those orange eyes, Farrell jumps back. Rising to his feet from his crouched position, Jordan lets the steam roll off of him in waves, creating an even greater fog in the room.

When he slams his hands against the plexi-glass, all three men jerk back in horror. Then Jordan smirks, "No, I'm not. But you will wish you were dead after I get out of here." Farrell just levels his gun at Jordan, and says, "Yeah? And how are you gonna make that happen? You can't even burn your way out of that cell. You think you're gonna burn us alive?"

And then they all turn when Noah's voice says from down the hall, "Not likely." As he begins walking towards them, he comments, "For the record, it's not that easy to kill a hellhound. Particularly one that's mated to a dragon that literally breathes out ice in her sleep." Shrugging at the guns they point towards him, Noah adds, "And he's not talking about what _he's_ gonna do to you that's gonna make you wish to be dead. He's talking about what Nixie is going to do, after she finds out what you tried to do to her husband, the hellhound."

As his former men take up a stance to try and intimidate him, Noah asks, "You know that's what he's called, right? I mean, if you're gonna wander into this world, you might as well have all the information."

Farrell levels his gun at Noah's chest, "No one here wants to get hurt." "Then I suggest you put your gun down, Deputy. Or, on top of me telling Nixie that you locked her husband up in a giant ice box again, do you want me to add that you also threatened to kill me too?"

Stepping up even closer, Noah then says, "You're not gonna shoot me." But Farrel shakes his head, "We're not gonna let you take him out of here either." "Well, I don't know about that. There's only three of you."

As Farrell actually lets out a chuckle, he holsters his gun and says, "Stilinski…" But Noah cuts him off, "Sheriff. You refer to me by my proper title, deputy." But the man just scoffs, "What are you, like, sixty?"

And evidently, the fact that he was former army had been temporarily forgotten. Or maybe the fact that Noah was out of uniform, and not carrying his badge and gun, had made them lose sight of who he really was.

The fist that comes up to break Farrell's nose is a start in showing them what a big mistake that was. Kirkland comes at him next from behind, but Noah grips his wrist, twists it around, and bends that arm back at a painful angle. Amidst that, he swings out and kicks DeWitte in the chest, sending him flying back into the cell wall with a hard crash.

Noah then bends back and kicks down at Kirland's right leg, breaking it before sending him to the ground. Then he spins around to find Farrell rising back to his feet. And Noah will give the young man this much credit. He does manage to get in one, maybe two decent swings. But then Noah knocks him back with a kick to the chest, and then sends him plummeting back to the ground with another one immediately after.

Glancing around at his former deputies, he huffs in aggravation at the men he'd once trusted with his own life. Then, as he slides open the door of the cell, he says, "The three of you help Deputy Parrish to his feet, and get him out of there." But before they can move, Jordan steps out himself, a wave of heat following after him that completely cancels out the cold that should've been coming from the room. Noah grins and says, "Welcome back." "Thanks." Jordan glances at the others, and then asks, "You need help writing up their dismissal papers?" "No. I'll handle that tomorrow. Right now, we need to hurry to the hospital."

Jordan's instinct reaction to that is to ask, "Nixie?" But he relaxes when Noah shakes his head, "Nothing is wrong with the baby. Nixie should be there when we arrive, and hopefully Liam and his friends will already be gotten out of there. But we still need to hurry."

As they're preparing to walk back up the hall and out of his hellhole, Farrell wipes blood off his nose and asks disappointedly, "Dismissal?" Noah turns to look at him, and then says, "You didn't actually think you'd get to remain a cop in Beacon Hills? Not after how far you've fallen."

While Farrell glances down in shame, DeWitte jerks himself up to his feet and yells as he launches himself towards Noah. But before the man can even get two steps in, a shot rings out from further up the hall. DeWitte goes down with an agonized cry of pain, blood now seeping from his shoulder where the bullet hit him.

Jordan's eyes glow for all of two seconds, a warning to whoever was down there that they'd better not fire at either him or Noah. But then Naomi appears from back in the shadows, a rifle now hanging off her shoulder.

As Jordan's mouth falls open, Noah simply grins, "She's a natural. Let's go." And when they reach the end of the hall, Naomi wraps him up in a hug and says, "You were so awesome."

Noah hugs her tightly in return, and then kisses her cheek before allowing her to move over to hug Jordan. He was still a bit colder than he should be, but he was fine. Fine enough to look between Naomi and Noah for a moment, eyebrow raised when his mother-in-law immediately returns to Noah's side, his arm wrapping firmly around her waist.

Noah stares back at him evenly, but then says, "Yes… this is a thing. We're… dating." Jordan stares for a moment longer, and then just grins and says, "You may want to stress the 'dating' part to Nixie." Noah tilts his head, "Why?"

"Because you say 'dating'. But I know her mind is going to jump straight to the part where you two eventually get married. And you have no idea how excited she's going to find the prospect of finally being able to call Stiles her real brother."

Noah and Naomi glance at each other at that. Then Noah shrugs, "Well, he's not wrong."

Hopping in the truck, they're on their way to the sheriff's station first to pick up Rafe, when Noah slams on the breaks as a blur runs out onto the road right in front of him. The hands that then slam down on the hood of the truck leave claw marks, and yellow eyes lift up to meet theirs through the windshield.

Noah blinks for a second in surprise, because how in the hell was that possible? This particular werewolf was supposed to be on the other side of the world. But he wasn't seeing things, because apparently Jordan saw him too, as the next question he asks in surprise is, "Isaac?"

Hurriedly getting back out of the truck, Jordan moves to hug the young man, and then asks, "What are you doing here?" Isaac opens his mouth to respond, when Titus and the rest of the pack finally break through the tree line.

Finding Isaac stopped at the truck on the road, Titus sighs in relief, "Thank God. You're aware we were losing you, right Isaac?" He ducks his head sheepishly, but smiles when his alpha pats him on the shoulder and says, "Its fine. But next time, maybe give a warning that you're turning on the jets."

Kelly nods in agreement as she settles herself into Isaac's side. Jordan stares at the rest of the werewolves that are now standing in the road. Noah and Naomi hop out too, eyes wide in awe at the number that's now here surrounding them.

Titus looks to all of them, and then asks Isaac, "Friends?" Isaac nods, and then says, "Um… well, this… this is Nixie's husband. The hellhound." Titus bows his head to him in respect, and after a moment of bewilderment, Jordan bows his head back. Isaac then motions, "That's Noah. He's the sheriff. And basically Nixie's adoptive father."

Another bow of respect, and then Isaac smiles. Moving up to Naomi, hugging the woman he'd known very briefly, but loved all the same, Isaac adds reverently, "And this is Naomi. Mother of the blue dragon, Nixie."

There is a pause that can actually be felt as it goes through the entire pack. And then every single member bows their head in a sign of loving respect. Naomi stares at all of them for a moment in confusion and shock. Then she turns to Isaac, "I… don't understand." Isaac nods, but just smiles, "You're the mother of a blue dragon. A woman who, even when your mind was broken, Nixie's opinion of who you were never changed. Her opinion of you as the greatest human being in existence, coupled with the fact that you are her mother…"

He glances back at his pack, and then shrugs, "You are probably going to be the most respected human being within the supernatural world. So… yeah, I'd go ahead and get used to that."

Naomi shakes her head while grinning, and then Isaac asks, "Where's Nixie?" Noah points, "We think at the hospital. That's where Scott originally said she'd be. We need to stop at the station first to get Rafe. Then we'll go."

Isaac nods, and then turns to Titus. His alpha nods, and then gestures further back in the pack while asking, "So, since you're the sheriff, is it safe to say that we turn these people over to you?"

At the multitude of people Titus has brought forward, all the true hunters they'd managed to wrangle up throughout the night, Noah's eyes widen before he says, "I… yeah… yes… I just… I have no idea where we're going to fit them all."

Jordan can't help grinning at the sight of all the people that they no longer have to worry about, a small laugh of relief… and also disbelief, breaking through his lips. Then he says, "We have enough transport vans. We can lock them in there when the cells get too full." Then he turns to Isaac, who simply grins back at him while answering the unspoken question, "Yes, they're all very eager to come to the aid of a blue dragon and a true alpha." "No kidding."

Noah then runs a hand through his hair, "How are we going to get them there though?" Titus nods to his people, who all grab their respect prisoner and toss them over their shoulders. Then the alpha glows his red eyes before saying with a smirk, "You drive, and we follow. Trust me, we're faster than you think."

* * *

When Nixie hears Lydia let out a light scream, it no longer matters that she feels like she's caught the flu. Jerking herself up, she hurries from the room, and out into the hall, following the echoes of that sound.

When she finds Lydia, hiding in the guidance counselor's office… she sees what had caused Lydia to scream. Malia was standing there, frozen solid, like a statue, turned to stone. Lydia clamps a hand over her mouth to try and keep her gasping quieter. Nixie just stares at that statue for a moment… because this was not happening. It had been said that the Anuk-Ite could kill you with a look. But, Malia couldn't be dead.

Nixie shakes her head, thinking back on all she's seen and felt. Alison dying had been a thing that nearly broke her. A hallow place had formed in her chest, one that Nixie had been terrified would remain there forever.

She didn't feel that way now, which meant Malia wasn't gone. Not yet. Tilting her head, she focuses her hearing on the statue before her. And when she hears the faint heartbeat from within, she sighs and says, "She's not dead yet. We just need to give Scott enough time to finish this."

" _He will never finish this_."

Lydia gasps in terror, but before she can turn around… or even try to open her eyes in the direction of the creature they're fighting, Nixie spins around and snaps her wings out of her back. They shut around Lydia, closing both of them inside of that wall of protection.

Sighing, Nixie says, "Just close your eyes Lydia. I can feel well enough blind to get us out of here. Just…" "He can't affect you." Blinking, Nixie asks, "What?" "The Anuk-Ite. He can't kill you with a look." "What on earth are you talking about?"

Lydia smiles, "Fear has no sway over you. Not anymore. You had one fear that could kill you as a dragon, and now that you have Jordan, that's been marked null and void. Which means…"

Nixie grins, "I can look at him." Then Nixie frowns, "But I still can't kill him." Lydia nods, "Get him to Scott. That's all you need to do. Get him to Scott, and wait for Stiles." "On it."

Nixie opens her wings, glancing around to make sure they're alone again. Then she gives Lydia a stern look, "Do not open your eyes." "I won't." "Good. I'll be back."

As she takes off out into the hall, the first person she finds is Peter. Gritting her teeth at his stone form, she takes off down another hall. Still searching for where the creature went, she then finds Derek.

She made sure his heart was still beating too, and then pressed a gentle hand to his cheek before saying, "We will save you." Then she took off again.

She was running to check the boys' locker room, of all places, when she heard Jackson's voice asking where Ethan was. Her intention at that point, had honestly been to simply grab both of them and turn them around to head back for Lydia.

But when she got inside, the Anuk-Ite, somehow using Ethan's voice, says, "I'm right in front of you." Nixie screams, "Jackson, don't!" But it's too late. His eyes had already begun to peek open. And at seeing the sight of the face before him… they burst open wide, before his body began turning to stone.

He did manage to turn his head in Nixie's direction, his eyes widening at the sight of her… but then even his face was coated over, and he was a frozen statue like Ethan, who was at the set of lockers in front of him.

Nixie glares at the hideous creature before her. His eyes glowed a bright neon purple, but he was no witch. And his face… it looked more as though he had no skin, and then the muscle beneath where that skin was supposed to be had all been stretched too tight. And he had no mouth. How the hell was he speaking if he had no damn mouth?

Nixie decides that'll be a brilliant question to ask at a later date. Right now, she has the Anuk-Ite, and she needs to lead him to Scott.

Tilting his head, he says, " _You aren't dying."_ Nixie smirks, "Your power over fear has no influence on me. Or hadn't you noticed that already?" He growls behind his mouthless face, and then says, " _It matters not. You and your friends, are all doomed."_ Nixie narrows her eyes, "I doubt that. But if you want the chance to truly win, then it's not me you need to be worried about."

The Anuk-Ite snarls, " _The alpha."_ Nixie nods, and then taunts, "Catch me if you can."

Simply for the sake of trying to annoy the creature, since he couldn't simply look at her and turn her to stone, Nixie led him on a merry chase around the entire school. He wasn't slow by any means. But these were Nixie's halls and classrooms. She knew where she was going, even if she ended up going backwards. And he didn't know them well enough to keep up.

Nixie thinks he should've been smart enough to figure that out. Because while she never let him catch her, she did make sure that she stayed within his line of sight, almost all the time. And the result, to her great pleasure, was a pissed off, anxious, and even more desperate Anuk-Ite.

When she got to the library, she pushed open the door and paused. This is where Scott had gone. She could smell that he was still in here, trying to wait for the Anuk-Ite to finally get to him. Because he knew that if he went looking for the creature himself, and even so much as glanced at him with his own eyes… well, then they were screwed, and all the pain they'd been through up to this point will have been for nothing.

As the creature turns the next corner, snarling when he spots Nixie at the door, he pauses when she shouts, "Scott!"

Her alpha doesn't turn to see her, but asks, "Nixie?" "He's here." And as Nixie backs away from the library doors, eyes glaring back at the creature who was moving to take her place, she says, "Kick his ass, Scott!" "Help the others." "On it."

She was heading back for Lydia, when she had to freeze again. Tilting her head to the side, she heard a gun cocking, and someone on a talkie asking, "Are you sure?" " _Yes. One in the heart, and one in the head."_

Fuck! They were going to shoot Derek and Peter… while they were statues.

Nixie's not exactly happy about it, but she needed to gather them all up as quickly as possible. So the first person she reached, was Peter. Swinging her wing at the man with the gun, she grabbed Peter's frozen form and hefted him up into the air. Then she sprinted down to where she knew Derek was. There were two men around him, so Nixie shot a shard of ice out of her hand at one of them.

It only took about six seconds for the shard to form… but that was three seconds that it normally wouldn't have taken. And Nixie can feel her body become more drained at the thought of trying to create another one.

Damn yellow wolfsbane. It wasn't going to kill her, but right now, it was affecting her ability to create the cold environment that usually just poured out of her naturally. And she couldn't afford to use her cold if it was no longer necessary. So the other hunter still around Derek…

Well, it's not some brilliant plan or anything. She simply continues running down the hall, and slams her forehead against his nose as soon as she gets to him. He went down and out like a light. So no; it wasn't brilliant or elaborate. But it got the job done, and that's all she cares about.

Grabbing Derek, Nixie was then going to head back for Jackson and Ethan… when a familiar face stepped out of one of the classrooms nearby. Blinking in confusion, Nixie asks, "Coach Finstock?" Eyes wide upon looking at her like this, he says, "Uh… yeah."

For a moment, they just stare. But then Nixie heard the sound of footsteps heading towards the locker rooms. Landing for a moment, Nixie gripped Coach by his shirt. "I do not have time for you to ask questions. Go the boys' locker room. Ethan and Jackson are there, and they are in trouble. Someone is going to try to shoot them. You cannot let that happen." "But…"

Silver eyes glow harshly at him, and Nixie says, "Guard them with your life. And if they die before I can get back to save them myself, I will break you in half." Coach stares for a moment, but then just nods and says, "It's good to see you again, Nixie." "Likewise, Coach. Likewise."

And with that, she picks up Derek and Peter again, and flies towards where she'd left Lydia and Malia. She gets there with no time to spare either. As soon as she puts Derek and Peter down, Lydia steps out of the room, trying to push Malia's form along with her. Why?

Because six men, along with Monroe herself, were trying to barge in from the other side. Guns drawn and already shooting at the lock and windows, it was only a matter of time before they got in and then came right up behind Lydia.

Nixie grabs Malia and shoves all three statues together so they're huddled. Then she grabs Lydia, forcing her into the grouping as well.

Wings snap shut over all of them, and Nixie winces as she brings her scales to the surface. Lydia puts hands on her shoulders and asks, "What's wrong?" Nixie shakes her head, and then sighs, "I took poison from Scott. It's still working out of me." Lydia, now that she's looking, can see where the black ooze had smeared on Nixie's face after she'd tried to wipe it away.

Nixie makes an ice shard form in her hand again, but then pants and says, "And I can't freeze any of the hunters right now. It's too much effort to push the cold out past me." Lydia nods, but then asks, "But, your scales are still impenetrable, right?"

As a bullet suddenly ricochets off of her, Nixie nods, though she winces and says, "Though I can apparently be bruised through the scales when I am weakened. This is gonna be fun."

Lydia wants to wrap Nixie in a hug as the bullets continue to ricochet off her skin. She can hear Monroe shouting at them to keep firing, and never stop.

She settles for cupping Nixie's face in her hands, feeling how clammy her skin feels. Cold was normal, but clammy and sweaty were definitely the signs of being sick. They needed to get her to Deaton. Lydia's confident that the baby will still be fine, but they needed the poison to get out of Nixie sooner rather than later.

Nixie hears Scott roar, in what sounds like victorious agony. She's not sure what to make of that. Then Nixie hears a door open at another end of the school, and she hears Stiles mumble, "Now, if I were Scott and the Anuk-Ite, where would I go for a final show down?" Nixie raises her head and screams, "Library! Stiles, the library!"

The bullets pause for a brief second, no one understanding what she was saying or why. But when they start up again, Nixie still hears Stiles' whispered, "Thanks, Nix."

It only took another thirty seconds after that. Lydia and Nixie both look up when they hear the stone begin crumbling and come crashing down around their three friends. Peter blinks in surprise at the bit of darkness they find themselves in, but Derek simply asks, "How long has she been like this?" Lydia shakes her head, "Five, maybe ten minutes." Nodding, Derek then asks, "Have they run out of bullets yet? At all?"

Nixie lifts her head and says, "They'll all need to reload in about thirty seconds." Derek nods, "That's when we move. Everyone get ready." And as soon as Nixie feels the beginnings of the pause in their firing, she rolls her wings back under her skin while saying, "Now!"

Derek and Peter move first, taking out the gunmen that had moved in closest to Nixie's protective blockade. Malia moves forward, along with Lydia and Nixie after that, helping to dispatch the other four. Lydia doesn't particularly approve of Nixie shoving two of her blades into both shoulders of a single person… but she wasn't about to argue with the soon to be mother that was feeling sick, bruised, and exceptionally pissed off right now.

Monroe was already gone, which Nixie considers to be a shame. Coward.

Before she can comment on that though, Nixie blinks in surprise when she suddenly finds herself lifted off her feet. Looking up at Derek, she says, "I can walk." "But while you don't need to, I'm gonna carry you. At least until the poison has finally worked out of your system. Or until we can get you to Jordan. Whichever happens first."

At the mention of Jordan, Nixie says, "I really need to go. Oh! The hospital! I…" Derek shakes his head, "Scott first at this point." "Right."

And upon entering the room, Nixie's eyes widen at the sight of her alpha. He had blood stains streaked down his cheeks and all over his hands. And his eyes…

Malia bends down next to him hurriedly and asks, "Scott, what happened to your eyes?" Scott simply shakes his head, "I had to. I'm sorry." Derek tightens his hold on Nixie, who begins trying to struggle to get down. "Scott, you need to heal. If your eyes stay like this much longer, the damage is gonna be permanent."

Nixie struggles harder, until Derek gives her a look that says she had better just stay still, or he was probably going to throw her over his shoulder, and she wouldn't be able to see anything if he did that. Glaring at him, she says, "I can heal him." "And go blind yourself. No." Scott follows up with his own, "No!"

Stiles steps up closer to his friend and says, "Come on, man. Concentrate." Huffing tiredly, he says, "I'm trying. It's not working. I can't focus." Malia grips his head in her hands and says, "Hey! Look at me! Yes you can. Just concentrate!" "I can't, I can't… I can't do it." "Yes, you can. Scott, please just look at me."

Nixie doesn't try to get away, but she does sit up straighter in Derek's arms. "Scott, please. You have to heal." "I can't…" "Don't say that. We never say that. Scott… please." She can tell he's trying as hard as he can, but he slumps back after a moment and says, "I'm sorry. I can't focus. It… it hurts too much. There's… there's too much."

Suddenly, Lydia's voice says, "Malia… kiss him." The coyote turns to look at the banshee and asks, "What?" "Kiss him!" Lydia then turns to Derek and says, "Put her down. Nixie, take his pain. Only his pain!"

When Jackson, Ethan, and Finstock all find their way into the room, they join the others surrounding Scott as Nixie scrambles out of Derek's hold. She offers them a brief look of relief and joy, but then turns back to her alpha worriedly. Bracing her hands over one of Scott's, she then looks up at Malia and says, "I have no earthly idea why a kiss is supposed to save him, but I'm ready when you are." Malia nods to her, and then leans in and kisses Scott for all she's worth. Nixie grips Scott's hand and arm, and syphons away all the pain she can stand to take. She's honestly surprised by how much more it hurts, how little she finds herself able to stand before letting a tear fall from her eye, since she still has yellow wolfsbane poisoning her body.

But it works. As Malia pulls away, Scott's eyes morph back and reform in their sockets. Sighing in relief, Nixie lets go, rising up and taking a step back. She turns slightly to see where Derek is, and when he finds her eyes searching for him, he steps up to be directly behind her. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he says, "You need rest." "Not yet."

As Scott and Malia kiss again, all heads turn when they hear a discarded walkie-talkie on the ground. Liam's voice says, " _Nixie… the cell phones here are still being jammed. But, we know it's over. We're safe, and it's over."_ He pauses for a moment, but then adds, _"But we still need you here. I don't know what happened, or where you ended up. But if you can hear me, then please hurry. We don't have a lot of time."_

Everyone stares for a moment, but then Nixie simply tilts her head. Looking up at Derek, she says, "See? No rest for the weary."

Then she glances over at Jackson, "You three okay?" Jackson grins at Coach and says, "Yeah. Thanks for sending the big guns." "Well, I do what I can, you know." Turning to Ethan, she then points at Jackson and asks, "He still an ass?" "Only half the time." Jackson gives his boyfriend a look, though they both grin when Nixie laughs before saying, "That sounds about right."

Then she looks down to Scott, "You good?" "Yeah. Thank you." "Sure. But don't ever do that again." "I will never claw my own eyes out again."

And he can't help laughing when she says, "Yeah, I was actually talking about the part where you kept saying, 'I can't'. You're a true alpha. That phrase shouldn't even exist in your vocabulary." "Yes ma'am." "Good. I'll see you all at the hospital later."

She takes off from the room, winds unfolding and lifting into the air mid-stride. After she's gone, Jackson holds up a finger and asks, "So… I know Ethan told me that she was… well, a dragon. But… wings? Scales? How long has she been like this?" Stiles pats him on the shoulder and says, "Ah, Jackson. The enigma that is Nixie Parrish is one we will likely never fully understand. She's been a full dragon since she was eighteen."

And then everyone grins when he adds, "But, she's always been this way. Has been from the day she was born, and will likely remain this way until the day she dies. And we lowly mortals who get to bask in her company while we're here are all the more blessed for it."

* * *

Jordan had already sent his heat soaring down the hall, engulfing all the guns in everyone's hands. And as Rafe holsters his gun back at his waist, he says, "I'm gonna need you to teach me how to do that."

Noah and Jordan just grin, and then their smiles widens when Titus steps around the corner and adds, "Me too. This night could've ended a lot quicker if I could do that." Noah pats Jordan on the shoulder and says, "No arguments there. First assignment we have when this is over. Decommission that God-forsaken room in Eichen House." Jordan nods, "Agreed. Now, let's head up and find my wife."

Already on the fourth floor, Gabe had never expected this. He'd known that Gerard was a loon, a crazy old man who didn't care what happened to anyone else. But he'd thought Monroe… surely his guidance counselor would…

But he'd been wrong. He'd heard her on the radio, as he'd been fighting with Liam. And when the gunman had said that he couldn't get a clear shot of Liam, Monroe had simply ordered the man to shoot them both.

Turns out, he only managed to hit Liam once. In the arm, which wouldn't have been lethal anyway. And he ended up shooting Gabe four times, all around the chest area.

Blood pooling from his lips, he knows he's dying. His mentor had practically ordered his death, his sacrifice… and now he was dying.

Liam comes forward with Theo, who bends down to the floor as Gabe says, "It hurts. It… It hurts." And Liam watches with baited breath, as Theo gingerly reaches out to take Gabe's hand.

The Anuk-Ite was destroyed. And with it, a majority of the fear that had overtaken this town. The man that had shot Gabe had already dropped his gun, and was curled up with his knees to his chest on the floor nearby. Tears were streaming down his face, disbelief written all over him. He couldn't believe what he'd done.

Theo grips Gabe's hand, and remembers what Nixie had told him. That it wasn't just about caring enough, but he had to be confident enough that he had the capacity to care enough about this.

And he knows he does… because Nixie believes he does. It had taken him a while to wrap his mind around that concept. Longer than he will ever care to admit. But Nixie did believe that he could and would be better this time around. She'd confessed from the beginning, when they'd first brought him back, that he wasn't as evil as he used to be. He had redeeming qualities.

And every day, she seemed to have less and less of a problem with him. Because he was trying. Because he was working at it. And because she could tell that he did, truly and wholeheartedly, care about being the best version of himself that he could be.

Liam can't help grinning as black lines race up Theo's arms. And Theo has to struggle not to smile himself. Because this was an accomplishment for him, there was no questioning that. But this was not, by any means, a time for smiling. He could take Gabe's pain, but the boy was still going to die.

Unless…

Theo turns to Liam and asks, "Can you contact Nixie?" Liam blinks, but then shakes his head, "Phones are still down." "I know but… isn't there anything we can do?"

Liam ponders it for a moment, and then runs away to grab the walkie-talkie from the man that had shot Gabe in the first place. He briefly relays a message over it to Nixie, hoping that she was somehow in the vicinity of another one so she'd hear it.

Coming back to Theo, he says, "That's all we can do." Then Melissa steps up and says, "Not all. Let me see him."

She had them holding pressure to his wounds as Noah, Jordan, Rafe, and Naomi all get up the stairs. Liam's eyes widen at the sight of the wolf pack that was following behind them too. Isaac, Liam recognized… but everyone else had come from nowhere.

Titus wasn't sure if now was a good time to introduce himself or not. The young beta that clearly belonged to Scott McCall was staring at him in surprise and confusion… but the boy on the ground was still dying, and people were still working to save him. So he opts for remaining silent at this moment.

Before Noah can ask what happened, and before Melissa can comment on her joy at seeing Isaac again, they all jerk around to look as another army of footsteps sounds like it's coming up from a stairwell on the other side of the hall.

When Satomi steps through the door, Jordan sighs in relief before asking, "Why are you all out of the restaurant?" Satomi simply flashes her red eyes at the hellhound and says, "We do not simply leave our friends to fight without us. That is not how I was raised and taught to live. And it is not how I have raised my pack."

Satomi glances across at Titus and his grouping, and adds, "Or how he raised his for that matter. Hello Titus. It's been a while." "Decades, Satomi-son." He bows to the alpha that was even older than he was. Then he asks, "You know the blue dragon?" Satomi nods, "Nixie is a wonderful friend to have. She has worked tirelessly the past month or so, aiding in protecting me and mine from the evil that set foot in this town. You'll be glad you made the journey to meet her."

Brett, after assuring that this small interlude of introduction was over, joins Liam and Theo on the ground, asking what he can do to help. Then Jordan lets his gaze rush over the people with Satomi and asks, "What happened?"

Satomi glances back. Aside from the forty-some supernatural friends that had been in hiding with her, they were now also escorting at least as many, if not more, human men and women. Turning back to Jordan, she explains, "They were hunting. We stopped them. And when the creature was destroyed, most of them stopped fighting anyway."

To Noah, she says, "We are bringing them to you, for you to see to their treatment as you see fit. Though we are almost certain these were only under the influence of the Anuk-Ite, and that is why they picked up their guns in the first place. The others…"

She pauses, so Brett glances back and says, "There are about ten that we found that would've killed us anyway, regardless of how frightened the Anuk-Ite made them. We left those in an FBI transport van we found about five miles from the sheriff's station. Also awaiting whatever treatment you see fit to give them."

Noah nods his appreciation, and then can't help grinning when Jordan comments, "At this rate, we'll have to empty out what's left of the department, just to get everyone to a courthouse so they can be tried. Or to just get them the hell out of Beacon Hills. Geez." Noah nods in agreement, but before they can get into that, or ask about where the hell Nixie is, he looks to one of the hunters that Satomi had brought in as she asks, "What happened?"

She was gesturing to Gabe, so Melissa answers crossly, "He was in front of Liam. In the way of the shot. Monroe ordered for them both to be shot. And Gabe doesn't heal."

As all eyes turn to each other worriedly, Cierra steps up to the front and asks, "Then why are you struggling so hard to keep him alive. Does that not prolong his suffering?" Noah nods, and is about to ask why Melissa is trying so hard to keep him breathing.

That's when a crashing of glass can be heard from a window on Noah's side of the room. All heads turning, Titus' eyes can't help widening at the sight before him.

Nixie had her wings folded in tight, making herself a scale-covered bullet as she rocketed towards the window at high speed. It shattered upon impact, though her scales still ached with the force. Then her wings quickly snapped open to help catch herself and flip her over. Shifting her wings and scales back beneath the skin, she then takes off a sprint, never breaking stride as she hurries to where she can smell Liam is.

Well… she started off heading for Liam. But as another scent caught her attention, she diverted immediately in that direction. And Rafe has to ask worriedly, "Um… she looks like she's going to run us over." Noah shakes his head, and then pulls Rafe aside and says, "Just don't be in the way."

Jordan was the only one who didn't move. And when Nixie reached him, he was braced enough to only need to take one step back to keep from hitting the ground. Nixie wrapped herself around him fiercely, and as his warmth came out to blanket her, she sighed and asked, "Are you okay?" "I'm perfectly fine, thanks to Noah."

Nixie looks over at him, and then says, "Thank you." Noah nods, and then Nixie's eyes widen when she sees her mom with the rifle still hanging from her shoulder. She looks to Noah again, who says, "Oh, your mom is a total badass with a firearm. I saved Jordan. And then she saved us both."

Nixie smiles at both of them, and then as the two move closer together, she points out, "FYI, we're going to need to talk about that." Noah nods, but then adds, "For the record, we are dating now. Dating."

But Jordan hadn't been kidding. And Noah can't help laughing when Nixie says, "That's awesome! That means Stiles can be my actual brother! This is great!" Jordan squeezes her tighter and says, "They're just dating right now." "Oh, I know that. But Noah is a catch, and my mother is incredibly smart. She picked my dad right off and never had to date anyone else. And now she's picking Noah. I'm not blind, I know where this is going."

"Nixie." At the sound of Liam's voice, she releases Jordan reluctantly. She briefly glances over at the pack that was at Noah's back, eyes finally falling on Isaac in surprise and joy. She managed to wrap him into a tight hug before Liam pleaded again, "Nixie!"

Leaning back from Isaac, she says, "You can't leave right after this. Because I'm probably going to need to go to sleep immediately after, but I still demand to talk to you before you go back home. No exceptions. Understood." He nods his assent, not even bothering to ask Titus' permission, much to the alpha's amusement. Then Nixie points in direction and the direction of his pack and says, "And I will greet all of you later, when shit has finally decided to settle the hell back down. But for now…"

Titus glances at Isaac in surprise at the way she seemed to address everyone. Even him, an alpha whom she'd never met before. And yet, she was speaking as though she'd already known him for ages, and fully expected him to just roll with her bluntness and sarcasm. But to his continued amusement, Isaac simply shrugs with a smile, "Yeah, she's always like that."

Nixie ignores that comment that was obviously directed at her, opting to move next to Liam, who was still overly stressed about how much longer they had to pull this off. Frowning at his worried and drawn features, she asks, "What's wrong?" He just gestures to Gabe, and Melissa removes her hands and Brett's, also moving to cut open Gabe's shirt, so everyone can see the wounds on his chest.

The two sides of the room who had yet to fully see her work before were gasping and shaking their heads in sorrow. Because really, how was it possible to save someone who was so very clearly about to die. But Nixie simply slides over next to Theo and asks bluntly, "Why isn't he already dead? The pain should've made him pass out at least by now." Liam points to Theo, who says, "I… took his pain." Nixie stares at him for a moment, and then he can't help letting his chest swell with pride when she smiles and says, "You are getting better."

She looks to Gabe again, at the wounds on his chest. They were all around his heart, not quite hitting that vital organ. But they had obviously hit other vital things when they went through him. And he would die, if someone didn't do something.

Well… not someone. The rest of the room was right in assuming that there was very little anyone else would be able to do for him. There was no doctor that was going to be able to fix this now. Not even David, who was joining them now, with Corey and Mason right behind him.

But… Nixie could. She could fix this.

Her internal injuries healed within minutes, depending on what they were. Externally, the wound would still be there. She'd scar, that's for sure, even if she didn't take all of from Gabe. But none of the wounds she'd be taking were anywhere near her stomach, which would've hurt the baby.

Nodding, she says, "Theo." He looks to her, and even though she'd just smiled at him, he blinks in surprise when she says, "I'm gonna need you to take my pain." She reaches for Gabe's hand, but then pauses. Turning to Liam, she says, "You too."

Liam and Theo glance at each other, and then Liam asks, "Why?" "Well, usually I'm against any of you losers thinking that I can't handle what I'm about to take from you. Usually because it's true, I can handle it. Despite what you might think."

But she slumps tiredly even while just sitting there between them, and then concedes, "But I'm weaker than I look right now. And I don't know how much I can take."

At the shock that rolls through Isaac's system, Kelly asks, "What? What's…" But he just shakes his head, "I… she's never admitted to being too weak to help us. Never. She… Even if she is, she never admits it."

And when Titus turns back to look at this blue dragon, his eyes widen at the glare in her eyes. Isaac was her friend, but she still growled slightly when she says, "I can handle more than you or anyone else really understands. And I can still handle this. I'm just not going to be able to handle it as gracefully as I usually do."

When she looks back to Gabe though, she finds Jordan on the floor on the other side of the boy. Meeting his gaze head on, she says gently, "Don't stop me, until Melissa is certain he'll live." "And if you die in the process?" Nixie smiles gently, "I won't die. I've already figured that. I literally just said I know I can handle this."

But, in the interest of being completely honest right now, she adds on in a shaky breath, "Might pass out though. So… can you come behind me?"

Jordan does as she asks, kissing the back of her neck before settling there, ready to catch her if she fell back into him. He knew at this point it was pointless to ask her to go easy on herself. And as she'd figured out taking this pain wouldn't kill her, or harm the baby, he had no argument he could put up that would help him win in that respect. So he simply allows his heat to wrap around her in a comforting way, placing his hands on her shoulders so he can pull her into him when that time comes.

Nixie reaches for Gabe's hand again, glancing up briefly when Nolan finally comes within her eyesight. Bending down at Gabe's other side, he asks the question that everyone else in the room is thinking. "What… what do you think you're going to do?"

And everyone that doesn't already know her gasps or widens their eyes in surprise when, as silver eyes look up to meet Nolan's, the growl returns to her voice as she says, "I'm don't 'think' I'm going to do anything. I am going to save him."

Black lines shoot up Liam's arm so fast when she starts, he actually hisses at the sensation. He pulls back before he thinks anything of it, and then jumps back in shock when Nixie screams behind her teeth. Jordan's hands tighten on her shoulders, feeling her body tremble as she struggles not to scream again.

She decides then and there that, more than any other poison they've ever encountered, she hates yellow wolfsbane. This should not be so hard.

All around her though, human and shapeshifter alike, they all stare in awe as the wounds on Gabe's chest begin to shrink in size. Because Nixie was frustrated that this was so difficult… but everyone else was amazed that she was doing it at all.

Gabe's breathing begins to come more easily, the blood stops leaking from his mouth, and his eyes open wider as life seems to pour back into him. And consequently, Nixie's already tired and sweaty body, becomes more so. Instead of just being on her face, the sweaty and clammy feeling stretches to the rest of her. Black ooze that had been leaking from her nose, though she'd wiped it away before she got here, was coming from her right ear now too, and out of the corner of her mouth.

Melissa's eyes widen at the sight Nixie makes, but then jumps when Jordan says, "Melissa!" At the look he gives her, she says, "Right, sorry." Then she checks on Gabe, and as soon as she's positive he'll live, "He's fine. Get her off, now!"

Jordan pulls her back, finding no resistance when he does. Definitely not good. Pulling her head to rest back on his chest, he sees the black ooze coming out of her. Gritting his teeth, he says, "Nixie…" She opens her eyes weakly to look up at him, and then widens them as she blinks for a second.

A sorry look fills her eyes before she admits, "I… yellow wolfsbane. I… I forgot…"

She forgot to mention it. And any other day, Jordan might think she were joking about that. Because when did Nixie ever forget anything that important? She usually just carefully chose the times in which to reveal certain information such as that. But he can see it in her eyes, the way she's trying to silently implore that he understand. She really had forgotten, even if only for a brief moment, that the reason she already felt this bad, was because she was poisoned.

As Gabe sits up straighter, he watches as all the rest of her pack scrambles to try and help the woman who had just saved his life. Melissa tries to get on her phone, but then curses and asks, "Why is the service still being jammed?!" Corey grabs Mason's hand and says, "We're on it!"

Jordan looks up at Melissa and asks, "Deaton?" She nods, "I have the ingredients. He can tell me how to make the stuff that will force it out of her system faster. I just need him on the phone." Then she looks to Liam, "Go to the morgue. In the drawer I showed you. Bring everything. I'm not sure all of what I'll need."

As he sprints away, Jordan looks down at Theo, who is still holding onto Nixie's hand. Black lines have stretched all the way up into his neck even, but he hasn't let go yet.

Jordan gently grips his shoulder and says, "You don't have to keep…" But Theo just shakes his head. Tightening his grip on the cold hand within his, he says, "I can do this. I hurt her, more than I hurt anyone else. I have to make that right. I can do this."

Nixie pulls her hand gently from his, but then places it on his cheek gently. He syphons her pain through that touch again, even as she says, "You are better, Theo. I know that. You don't have to…"

But as she spasms and chokes on another wave of pain, Theo grips her hand in his, holding it against the side of his neck. Shaking his head, he says, "I know I don't have to. I know you'd say that to everyone, and they'd believe you. But I am going to, regardless."

Nixie simply grins at him, and then turns her eyes up to Jordan again. Reaching up to trace his face gently, she says, "I'm gonna be okay. I feel like complete shit… but I'm gonna be okay." He nods, though he can't help the tear that's already falling from his eye. Nixie wipes it away, and then glances over as another hand appears to take the one Theo isn't holding.

Satomi allows black lines to stretch up her arms as well. And when she can take no more, she moves so Brett can take her place. And when he's done all that he can, Titus watches as Isaac bends down to steal some of the dragon's pain.

Bullet wounds now littered her chest, blood leaking down to coat her skin and the clothes she was wearing. But judging from the other scars he could still see on her body, the young dragon was accustomed to worse. It was only the yellow wolfsbane that was making it hard for her right now. And as Isaac steals her pain, allowing the lines to stretch up his arms, past his shoulders, into his neck and even up to his cheeks… Titus knows that seeing her in such pain is a more terrifying thing than the young man has ever seen before.

So when Nixie pulls her hand away, forcing Isaac to let her go, he only allows himself to stop when he sees Titus moving to take his place. Holding Nixie's hand between his, he says, "Hello, Nixie Parrish. I'm Titus Draiken. Your boy, Isaac, has been part of my pack since he came to Paris."

And though she was still clearly in pain, he can't help chuckling when Nixie says, "You'd better damn well be taking good care of him. I don't care how old of an alpha you might be. I'll still kick your ass if you hurt him." "Yes, he mentioned you might say something like that on the way here."

Nixie grins a bit, and then coughs again before saying, "Thank you for coming." "We're honored to be of assistance to the first true alpha, and the first blue dragon, that have existed in centuries."

And then Isaac laughs when Nixie huffs, "If one more person looks at me like I'm an angel, all because I'm a freaking dragon, I'm going to have to kill somebody. Simply for the purpose of proving that I'm not an angel. Because seriously, what…" As she coughs again, Jordan kisses the side of her head and says, "Try not to talk." "Oh yeah, because that'll be easy. I'm trying to make a point, babe. Do you…"

He kisses her harder on her temple and says, "Yes, I know you very well. But you will never make that point stick. You are an angel. You're a warrior angel. And we adore you for it. Now shut up and rest." There is a brief pause, and then Jordan can't help a short laugh when Nixie says, "For the record, I am highly offended at being told to shut up right now. But we'll circle back to that later, when I feel better." "Whatever you say, baby."

Gabe and Nolan, and even Jordan's family as they move closer to the front on Satomi's side of the room, watch in fascination, as every single person that can, does everything in their power to try and ease Nixie's pain. Gabe glances down at his chest. There were still wounds there, but they were slight and minor in comparison to what they had been. Nixie had stolen about half of what would've normally been on the outside of his own body.

As Liam returns with Melissa's supplies, he can't help but overhear as Gabe says, "I can't believe she took them from me. I… I can't…"

Coming over to them, Liam shakes his head, "You don't get it, do you?" When both boys turn to him, he gestures to Nixie and says, "Every single scar she has, she got because she took it from someone else."

Marcus steps up closer as well as Titus, both wanting to see exactly what the young man was talking about as he moved closer to Nixie. Bending down, Liam points to the scar Peter gave her, and says, "He could've been alone with Stiles that night. It could've been him that Peter tried to bite and turn. But instead, Nixie put herself with them, made herself the primary target, and she took this instead."

Standing back up, he says, "The scar that runs across her back from shoulder to waist? That was for me, when a berserker was trying to chop my head off. But Nixie jumped in the way, and took that for me. Every single scar she has, she got by keeping someone else from getting hurt, or by taking the injury away from them, so they would no longer have to feel that pain."

Gesturing at the new holes at her chest, he adds, "And now she has those, which she took from you. A person she doesn't even like, who was trying to kill us all. But she still took them from you, so you wouldn't die."

Liam shakes his head, "And you people think we're the bad guys."

Meanwhile, Melissa has continued dialing Deaton's number until he finally picked up, thanks to Mason and Corey disabling the cell phone jammer. After that, it's just a scrambling of trying to mix in all the right ingredients, and putting them in a syringe.

Nixie winces as Melissa sticks it in her shoulder, and then looks up at Jordan and says miserably, "I hate this part." "I know, baby."

Brett brings over a bucket from nearby, and Jordan helps Nixie turn over so she can throw up into it when she begins scrambling. Then she leans back in relief, before wincing again and saying, "That still tastes fucking terrible."

But when she opens her eyes, they're brighter, and Jordan can feel the clamminess leaving her skin already. Sighing, he kisses the top of her head, and then asks, "Is it over?" She nods, to which Jordan says, "Then let's get you home." "But…"

As he picks her up, he knows she's too weak and tired to actually fight him on this. But she still speaks to him defiantly as she says, "But I have questions for the mermaid. And I promised Scott I'd see him here later. And your brother looks like he wants to speak with you. And Noah needs help disarming the rest of the town. And I need to help my mom plan her future wedding. And Liam needs to tell me when Nolan officially became a good person again. And Isaac's here with his pack that I wanna meet! And we need to find Monroe. And…"

She pauses, looking up at the ceiling of the elevator for a moment, wondering briefly at how they'd already gotten here so fast. Then she sighs, "You don't care about any of that, do you?" Jordan grins, "I do. I care about all the things you care about. Just not while you're getting over being poisoned and taking away someone else's fatal injuries. Again."

Nixie lifts herself enough so she can wrap her arms around his neck. Resting her head on his shoulder, she says, "Can we at least go the clinic and have Deaton and Grams check on the baby?" To that, Jordan nods, but then says, "And then you are going to sleep."

And he can't help laughing when Nixie says, "Hate to break it to you, but I might not make it all the way through the examination before that happens. In which case, you'll have to give me a full report when I wake up." "Of course." "I love you. So much." "I love you too, baby. Always."

* * *

When she does wake up, the first thing Nixie does is groan unhappily. She was hungry. Practically starving. That couldn't be good for the baby.

As she was about to sit up though, Jordan came walking into the room, a tray in his hands that held the aroma of bacon, eggs, and her special mixture of coffee. Sighing in relief, Nixie says, "I love you." Jordan grins as he helps her sit up all the way, placing the tray in front of her.

His hand finds her forehead, and then he sighs himself and says, "You're cool again. Normal cool, I mean." Nixie nods, and then asks, "So what happened?" Jordan shrugs, "The examination went well. The baby's fine. Scott and Satomi sorted out what to do with everyone that we've had in hiding the past month or so. Some are staying, and some are heading off to try and find new places to settle down. Some are even going to go with Titus and Isaac when they finally head back to Paris. Winston and the other three from Eichen are heading further inland with a few others coming with them. Apparently something Tabitha has always wanted to do is see the Grand Canyon." And before Nixie can demand anything, Jordan assures her, "And everyone that has already left has promised to let us know when they actually choose a place to settle down."

Setting down next to her on the bed, his body turned towards hers, he continues, "Noah and Rafe disarmed the entire town, minus the people who we still trust to own guns. And he's also put quite a dent in his staff at the station. Everyone you've ever told him shouldn't be there is now gone."

At Nixie's widening eyes, Jordan nods, "He says he'd appreciate it if, when he starts holding interviews, you'd come down from time to time to help him sort everyone out. For now, the only two people he's one hundred percent positive about, are me and Blakely. Everyone else that's still there is still up for debate."

Nixie nods, and then blinks and asks, "Wait… come down? As in come back? Where am I going?" Jordan raises an eyebrow, "To school." "Okay, yeah… but I can't go this semester. That's… I mean, unless they'd let me switch to online classes. But I can't…" She glances down at her stomach, and then says, "I've got at least another two months of carrying her around. Not to mention what this is still doing to my sex drive. No, I'll just have to wait a semester. Which will be fine. I can still graduate on time. They'll just have to let me take more courses than is normally allowed."

Jordan grins as Nixie continues rattling off how she was going to skip her first semester of school, and yet still graduate within four years, like she'd originally planned. And she had plans for how she was going to attend school and still be the best mother their little girl had ever seen.

To Jordan again, she asks, "Where's Cierra?" He nods back towards the rest of the house, "In the living room right now. She tried to wait up for you for a while, but I told her you wouldn't be waking up until at least the morning. She crashed in the spare room until she moved to the couch."

Nodding, Nixie says, "She said she's been looking for me for a while. Because I'm a blue dragon. But, I don't see how she could…" Jordan nods, "She explained that to me. Being a dragon of ice… essentially a water based dragon… sirens have a way of sensing when new creatures that can tap into their own talent are born. The fact that you started developing your powers before you turned eighteen through them for a loop. They weren't entirely sure what their senses were picking up. But after you turned eighteen, they were positive."

Gently brushing some of the hair from her face, he adds, "Dragons are protectors of the land above, guarding it from the skies. Sirens are protectors of the ocean, guarding it from within the darkest depths of the sea that humans can only dream about reaching. And apparently, back when sirens and dragons were both in abundance, they were close allies. Dragons themselves acted as a bridge, helping creatures on land and of the sea coexist and work together, whereas without them, they've pretty much kept themselves apart from each other."

Nixie nods at that, and then asks, "So… what's her part in this?" "Cierra volunteered to serve as… sort of a liaison, between her people of the ocean, and you and the rest of the supernaturals that live on land. Her people are of the hopes that, by working together, we can all restore balance to the supernatural community. A balance that's apparently been rather broken for years, long before we ever came into the mix."

Grinning, Nixie says, "That just means we didn't break it. Doesn't mean we can't be the solution. I like it." Jordan chuckles, and then gives a slight nod to her next question, "What about Monroe? And the other true hunters that we didn't catch? And what did we do with the ones that we did catch? I mean, they can't exactly stand trial for this. At least… I don't think they can. Can they?"

Nodding again, Jordan says, "Yeah, that would make for a rather awkward sentencing. Monroe is still in the wind, as are her other followers that we couldn't round up. As for the ones we did catch, they've been disarmed, and kicked out of Beacon Hills for good. Kevin and his family even managed to erase quite a few of their memories of this place, so they won't ever think to return." Nixie smiles at that, but then frowns and asks, "But… how are they kicked out of Beacon Hills for good? What's going to stop them from coming back? I mean… obviously, we would try. But it's not like we can guard the border twenty-four-seven."

Jordan grins, "For now, everyone is being held out of Beacon Hills by our very own thunder fox." Nixie beams, "Kira!" He nods, "Derek called her too. She and a great many skinwalkers arrived and helped in disarming the town. After that, well…" He stands up briefly to pull aside a curtain. And Nixie's mouth drops open when she sees the gigantic wall of sand and dust that seems to be resting at the border of the town."

Dropping the curtain, Jordan says, "They created a sandstorm barrier, which is helping prevent anyone we don't like from getting back in here. And Kira promised that they'll keep that up until Kevin can create a more permanent solution. He apparently has a series of spells and wards that he can cast around the town, similar to the ones he put on his restaurant. It's not a full-proof plan, by any means. There are obviously always ways around a spell, if someone looks hard enough. But, essentially, it will keep all of our enemies out."

He chuckles when Nixie shouts, "That is awesome! So this whole town is going to become jackass-proof! Could this day get any better?!" Jordan raises an eyebrow, and then comes back to her. Kissing her temple, he then says, "Eat. Then we'll see." "I have been eating. The bacon's almost gone. Besides, what's your hurry now? You still have to tell me about Isaac and his pack from Paris." "They are all still here, eager to meet you and discuss how we can work together in the future. Now, eat your eggs." "I'm getting there, don't rush me." "That's gonna be hard to do if you want to see how much better this day can get." "And why is that?"

But Nixie freezes for a second as Jordan simply stands back up. Pulling his shirt up over his head, he leans down to kiss her again, biting teasingly at her bottom lip and tugging it with him as he pulls back. Smirking, he then comments idly, "I'll be in the shower."

The smirk grows when, before he's even turned to walk away, Nixie has picked up her fork to begin scarfing down her meal.

Jordan's only warning to Cierra is to hand her a set of headphones and to tell her to go ahead and listen for a while. He just hopes Nixie can manage to control her vocal chords, even just slightly, for today.

But as she joins him in the shower later, his eyes rake over her, and he knows that if she can't help it, it's going to be his fault anyway. But he'll gladly take responsibility for that. Always.

* * *

And that's part 2! Only the Epilogue left guys. If not tomorrow, then hopefully I'll have it finished and posted by Friday.


	13. Epilogue

Disclaimer: "I do not own Teen Wolf. The show, the characters, and any quotes from the show belong to Jeff Davis and his amazing team of writers. I only own Nixie, and anything I maker her do or say."

Brief Warning: This chapter is definitely an M rated chapter. At least, based on the guidelines I'm going by. Anyways, just felt the need to point that out. Definitely some heavy insinuations coming up later on.

Okay, warning over. Please enjoy!

* * *

Epilogue: Five Years Later

As Scott nears the end of his story that he's telling to the young werewolf in the backseat, Chris pulls in and stops inside of an inner-city parking lot in Los Angeles. Hopping out, having Alec get out with him, Scott shakes Chris' hand appreciatively, "Thanks for getting us to him."

Chris just nods and says, "Just tell those Stiles and Nixie to keep the information coming, and I'll always do everything I can." Scott simply glances upward, and Chris grins before saying, "Take care." "You too."

After he's gone, Scott turns to face the new werewolf. "Okay, Alec. The people who are hunting you. They've got a leader, and her name's Monroe. And she's got a lot of followers." The kid tilts his head and, trying to sound at least a little optimistic and carefree, asks, "Like what? Hundreds?"

But Scott, not willing to sugarcoat it, responds, "Thousands. All over the world." Alec shakes a little bit, but then asks, "So what are we doing here?" And Scott knows this place doesn't look like the safest in the world. At least, not from their point of view. But for now, he simply answers, "We're meeting up with some people who can help us. Some of them are always with us. The ones you'll meet tonight are. And others come when we need them."

Alec nods, and then pauses when Scott adds, "But tonight, we need everyone we can get."

That's when three vehicles, two sports cars and one old blue jeep, pull into the lot with them. And as everyone piles out, Scott smiles upon seeing everyone in his pack. The last couple of weeks had been hard for them all, he knows that. Information had suddenly come to them from several sources at once, all of them requiring immediate attention. They'd had to spread themselves thin in order to save as many people as they could, before it was too late.

But now they were all back together again, and as Alec looks around at everyone, he asks, "Are they all… different?" Scott looks back at him, "Some of them are. Some can do things you'd never believe." Gesturing to Stiles, he says, "And others might only be human, but they make up for it by being really smart, or really good in a fight."

Stiles winks at that, and smiles when he feels a comfortingly cool breeze blow down over him from above his head. Glancing upward, he winks that way too, and then turns back at Alec, who asks, "Who are they?"

Scott glances around, and then says with a smile, "My friends. My pack." Trying to make himself serious for a moment more, he adds, "And you can be with us, if you want. But… you're gonna have to fight."

With a tone of dread, Alec asks, "Against Monroe?" Scott nods, "And everyone who follows her." His body trembles slightly in fright, but then he finally admits, "She said she'd find me. That she'd hunt me down and kill me. She didn't care how old I was. She said I was a monster."

Scott shakes his head, "You're not a monster. You're a werewolf. Like me." He glows his red eyes for emphasis on that point, and then grins over at Liam, who smiles at the use of the phrase that had once taught him that he was not a terrifying monster. He was not evil, or bad now that he'd been bit. He was simply, a werewolf. The good and the bad… that was up to him.

Alec glances around at all of them, and then asks, "Are we fighting tonight?" "We might be." "How? Why?" Scott tilts his head, "The how is simple this time. We know about a shipment of wolfsbane that Monroe is having shipped into the city. We're going to stop it, and destroy it before she can get her hands on it."

Alec nods, and then jumps in surprise when he hears a voice from up above say, "The why is always the same. We're the pack of a true alpha. And we might be down to do some incredibly crazy shit at times. But the one thing we never do, is run."

Scott grins as Alec tries to determine where the voice had come from, and then puts a hand gently on his shoulder. Squeezing comfortingly, he then glances up and asks, "Are we still safe here?" Alec glances around and asks, "Safe? In this…" But the voice says again, "They're heading in every direction, but this one right now. We're good for another hour, if you have any reason to want to stay here that long."

Alec looks upward with Scott, but then asks, "Who the hell is talking?" Scott grins again, and then chuckles when Stiles says, "Is she doing it again? She's doing it again. She's talking so you all can hear her, and I can't. What is she saying?"

Another cold breeze wraps around him, to which he says, "No buttering me up, missy." Scott chuckles, and then says to Alec, "Let's just say, as far as how we found out this place is safe, we have our very own eyes in the sky to help us out there." Glancing upward, he adds, "And if you think we're that safe, come on down."

There's a brief pause, and Alec briefly wonders if this alpha in front of him is crazy. But then, like a bullet shot from a gun, he sees a dark blue figure suddenly start racing straight down towards them out of the sky.

Nixie flips about twenty feet above the ground, her wings snapping open to catch her at that height. And then she drops herself down onto the pavement below.

Alec stares as her blue scales disappear beneath the skin, revealing the scarred body underneath. But in spite of all the pain that had to have gone into attaining those scars, the smile on her face looked as genuine as ever.

And she smelt like… like something wonderful. Like hope and safety and everything he'd been deprived of for the past several months. She smelt like home.

Scott watches Alec for a moment, and then smiles and says, "And that feeling you're getting right now. That never goes away with her." Alec glances between them both, and then blinks when Nixie simply asks Scott, "Is this him?" Scott nods, and then smiles when Nixie looks him over once before saying, "Cool. I like him."

And to Alec's complete shock, she moves up to him and wraps him up in a hug. They were strangers, and yet she was holding onto him now as though she'd known him all her life. But, judging from the way Scott was grinning and shaking his head in amusement, no one else was surprised by this behavior from her.

And all of that safety and security, all of the warmth that seemed to flow out of her, in spite of how cold she was physically, seemed to wrap around him. He couldn't help but wrap his arms around her in return, tightening his grip in the hopes that she wouldn't leave. But she never tried to. She never even seemed to loosen her grip to test and see if he was ready. She just stood there in his arms, wrapping him in her own, and letting him bask in what was the best thing he'd been able to feel in months.

When he finally does let go, Nixie glances over him again. At the hole and blood staining his pants leg, Nixie frowns and turns to Scott swiftly. "He's hurt. You didn't tell me he was hurt." "He healed." "But he was hurt." Scoffing, she turns to Alec and says, "They don't like telling me when people are hurt. I apparently don't let people heal on their own often enough."

Alec blinks in confusion, but simply nods when Scott says, "Don't worry. Soon enough, you'll agree with us on that point." Nixie sticks her tongue out at him, but then straightens herself up when he asks, "Is the shipment still happening?" "Yes, but they've moved up their time clock. It's at ten now, not midnight." "We still have time?" "If we leave now." "Good. Let's go."

He nods for Alec to join them if he wishes, and then moves to join the rest of his friends. The dock was only about thirty minutes away by car. With their own speed as supernatural creatures, they'd make it there in twenty. Derek would carry Lydia, and Nixie would carry Stiles.

As Alec watches them for a moment, he can't help but notice that they weren't just friends. They were family. Nixie seemed to reach out and touch all of them, somehow spreading to them the comfort that he had recently felt in her embrace. And there was something in her eyes. Something that told him that there wasn't anything she wouldn't do, to make sure that they were safe and taken care of.

He wants that. He wants to be a part of this family… this pack.

And as he moves to join them, Scott can't help but smile. He'd felt confident that the kid would've joined their pack anyway. But as he wraps his arm around his dragon's shoulders, he knows that part of the reason he decided so quickly, is because of Nixie.

She'd said it once, and it would forever remain true. She was an impossible friend to replace. You would never find another one like her in the whole world. And no one, once they'd met her, ever wanted to let that go.

* * *

(A few months later)

With Christmas coming right around the corner, Nixie can't help but smile at the kids playing in the yard. Several of Satomi's pack members had sent their children onto the shack early, so they could fully enjoy the white Christmas that had been promised to everyone, regardless of the fact that the weatherman was constantly reminding them that it wouldn't be cold enough for snow. But in spite of those normal conditions, the backyard of the shack looked like a winter wonderland.

Or… well, what had been the shack in the past.

Five years. They somehow felt both long, and yet entirely too short at the same time. Long in the sense that their work to thwart Monroe seemed to never end. They had to stay at least one step ahead of her, at all times. And that required a lot of research, legwork, and dedication to protecting the supernatural community.

With Scott as their alpha, that wasn't a problem. His own dedication, his mission to protect everyone he could, was infectious to those that belonged to him. Because they knew he would never ask of them anything that he wouldn't willing do himself.

And even if being a true alpha wasn't enough incentive for most people to get on board, the fact that Scott had the only living blue dragon in his pack was usually enough to push the rest along. At the very least, it made it evident that they either needed to join the fight, or not try to get in the way of the fact that Scott and his team were going to try and save them anyway.

Aside from constantly keeping track of Monroe's activities, in the past five years, Beacon Hills had seen quite a few changes. Scott, Stiles, Lydia, and Nixie all managed to graduate on schedule. Since their fight against the Anuk-Ite only lasted for a little more than a month, it was easy for them to ask for their work so they could catch up and stay on track. Even Nixie managed to switch to a few online classes her first semester, so she could remain on track to graduate in four years, same as her friends. Granted, there were a great many late night skype sessions, in which everyone went back and forth, asking for help with papers and research and everything else under the sun. But, they got it done.

And when they were finished, they all returned to Beacon Hills. Which meant the Sheriff's station, thanks to a glowing recommendation from Rafe McCall, had its very own FBI liaison in the form of Stiles Stilinski. Scott was well on his way to taking over the clinic from Deaton. The man would obviously continue to work at the clinic himself, but he was more than happy to pass the reins of 'head vet' over to Scott.

Lydia Martin, who for the past two years has been Lydia Stilinski, was a data analyst for the CIA. She also doubled as one of their language experts, transcribing encrypted messages and reading out letters written in foreign languages that no one else studied anymore. Her knowledge of archaic Latin was seen as a rarity, and she was hired practically the day after she interviewed. And so in demand were her talents and her mind, that she was able to work from home without any qualms from the agency. Over a secure network, obviously, but Stiles and Lydia had no problem allowing Rafe from the FBI and a few other CIA men that Nixie vetted to come down and secure their home.

Malia didn't go to France immediately following the defeat of the Anuk-Ite. She waited two semesters, until Scott was officially on his summer break. And then they both went together, Scott promising to take her to all the places she'd told him she wanted to see before she died, when they'd been trapped in the armory together. And as she had been, for a long time, an animal living in the wild, her real-life experience with animals made her an excellent assistant for the clinic.

Derek moved back to Beacon Hills, working during the day as an English professor. Nixie found that to be an incredibly hilarious thing. Not because of the English part though, because she'd always known Derek was smart. His brooding nature made some people think that all he ever did was stand there and scowl at everything… well, aside from her. But she'd always known he was more than just a frowning wall of muscle. So no, Nixie didn't think his teaching English was odd or hilarious.

She thought it was funny because of the way every single girl in the school looked at him on the first day. For his birthday the year he'd come back, she gave him a long stick, telling him it was to help beat off all the young ladies with.

Nixie, for her part, aced every exam and class and became a nurse. And thanks to Jordan editing all of the papers she had to write, she didn't even get points taken off to her lack of periods. And when she came back, after interviewing briefly with David and Melissa both, she was quickly put on the staff at Beacon Hills Memorial Hospital. Along with Cierra Mitchell, who finished second in their class, right behind Nixie.

It wasn't until later, maybe in their sophomore year, that Cierra revealed that her father was the ruler of the Pacific Ocean. Her father, with a scepter of his own, was king of one of the oceans. Which, essentially, made Cierra a princess. Nixie's new friend, and now an official member of Scott's pack, was a freaking mermaid princess. So not only had Nixie finally found a mermaid, but she'd found a mermaid princess.

She promises Cierra that she'll get around to calling her a siren someday. Once the thrill of finally having met a mermaid officially wears off.

As for Liam, after graduating from Beacon Hills High, he went with Mason and Corey to UCLA… along with Brett and Lori.

Hayden never came back to Beacon Hills. Not that anyone particularly blames her. She left so her sister would be safe. But that didn't exactly bode well for any continuing relationship between Liam and herself.

Hence Liam and Lori getting together. The way he'd reacted the night she almost died, the pure rage that had caused him to shift at the sight of them… even though she'd been almost dead, she couldn't forget that. Nor how safe she suddenly felt, as he stood over them protectively while Nixie had gone about trying to help save them.

Chris and Melissa, along with Naomi and Noah, all went to the courthouse one day to be married. They saw no need to have anything more than an official signing of papers. Each of the men bought their woman a ring, and that night they had a celebration with the pack, which lasted well into the night and on into next morning.

Nixie also thinks it's hilarious that, even after all the years Stiles had spent chasing Lydia, and even though they'd started dating before any of the adults had gotten together… Stiles and Lydia had still waited another year after the parents got married, before they got married themselves.

Jackson and Ethan returned to London, obviously. There was a new pack there in need of guidance, and a liaison of their own to help communicate effectively with other packs around the world. So Jackson and Ethan, working together as they'd been practicing for years, became that for them.

Isaac and Kira, after remaining in Beacon Hills for a month to spend time with Nixie, as she'd demanded, returned to their respective packs and homes. Kira's position with the skinwalkers had always been high, because it had already been known that she was a dear friend of a blue dragon. Isaac's position in his own pack, however, was immediately upgraded.

Not that Titus hadn't been thinking about that already. It had honestly been a while since he'd had a firm second in command; someone he could truly call his beta. And Isaac had always been an individual that fit the mold for that position as easily as if he'd been born for it. Turns out, becoming a werewolf in a place where a true alpha and a dragon were there to help him find his way, was a huge part of why he was perfect for that position.

It also didn't hurt that Nixie's opinion of Titus immediately went up when he announced that Isaac would be his second in command, and also the go to for communications between his pack and Scott's. And though Kelly had honestly still been a bit worried at how affectionate Isaac was towards Nixie… one hug from the dragon dispelled that in a heartbeat. It was hard not to feel so much love towards a person who, with a simple touch, made it seem like all your worries were fading away into nothing.

As the kids currently in the yard all cheer as more snow begins falling from the sky above them. Nixie moves to the edge of the porch to watch them as they play, following her daughter with her eyes.

Alison Haven Parrish was born in the middle of the night on September twenty-second. Jordan thought it was rather appropriate. Everyone else with Nixie's number often woke her up in the middle of the night to ask her a question, or simply to talk to her. It made sense that they're daughter would have the same idea.

Nixie had simply stuck her tongue out at him before then wincing at a contraction. But in her mind, she thought it was an appropriate day too. Because that was also the day that the shack was officially replaced by 'The Haven'.

It had taken Jordan's parents about another week, after everything had finally settled down, to fully wrap their heads around everything that they'd never thought was real before. Marcus, on the other hand, was simply happy to have his brother back. And even before asking his parents, he'd finagled his way into purchasing the land on which the shack was placed.

That had been the proposal he'd finally gotten to pitch to Jordan and Nixie. The shack was technically considered a private property, situated in the middle of the preserve of Beacon Hills. And while it was unknown to almost everybody, Marcus had confessed that it had only taken him a couple of days of digging to finally find the title and deed to that bit of land. It was long forgotten, and would probably remain that way, even if they didn't do anything about it.

But, as he'd suspected, Nixie didn't like 'probably'. If the place was going to serve as any sort of safe place for supernatural creatures to find refuge, then the place had to basically disappear to everyone, except the supernatural community that would be using it. And that is exactly what Marcus had done.

What he did, with Lydia's help, was technically not legal. But Beacon Hills First National Bank very briefly reopened an account, in which money was briefly deposited, and then used to purchase the property. Then the bank filed for bankruptcy about a day later.

It left the shack in a state of limbo, so to speak. Ensuring that no one would ever be able to buy it, because technically it was owned. But no one would ever really know by whom it was owned. No one, except Scotts pack.

The shack was then torn down, and in its place a wide, two story house was built. Several trees had to be taken down in order for it to happen, and it all happened rather quickly at that. Marcus wanted it done in record time, before anyone could think about asking what was going on in that part of the preserve.

Bottom line, what had once been a house with barely two rooms, hardly big enough to house one person, was now large enough to house the entire pack, their families, and anyone else that may need to stop by and stay for a while.

When Marcus had been trying to think of a name for it, he hadn't been able to hide his grin when literally every member of the pack decided on "Haven." For that's what it had been for Nixie. That's what it had been for them. And that's what it would be from here on out.

And now, in the present day, Nixie smiles as she feels warm arms come to brace themselves on the railing in front of her on either side. Jordan kisses the back of her neck, and then asks, "How long are you going to let it keep snowing?" "As long as they want it to snow." "They might end up buried."

Nixie turns to look at him, and then says, "That's what shovels are for." Grinning, Jordan presses his lips to hers, leaning back quickly before she can deepen it. At her pout, he says, "You know we can't start that right now. Not with all the young ones within earshot." "Then take me home." "And what would Alison think of that?"

Nixie pouts again, but then smiles and turns to look at their little girl. She looked exactly as Nixie had thought she would. Jordan's hair, her eyes, fair skin… and Chris had been more than honored to have the child named after his own daughter. And they'd agreed that when she turned seven, he could begin teaching her how to shoot the bow and arrow. Currently she was five, so there were two more years to go on that.

And between all of them, though she was an incredibly well-behaved child, she was spoiled in terms of those who doted on her. Stiles and Lydia, eagerly accepting being godparents, rained presents and attention down on her, almost more than any of the grandparents did.

But Alison still loved her parents most. Nixie had thought for sure, even as a baby, that she'd prefer to be held in Jordan's arms for the most part. Nixie was cold by nature, and surely that wasn't something a baby wanted wrapped around them. But Alison spent an equal amount of time in both their arms, and when she did cry, Jordan and Nixie had simply taken to switching who was holding her, because they'd discovered that was what the problem actually was.

Sighing, Nixie turns back to Jordan, "She's having a wonderful Christmas." "She should be. All she asked for was that it snow." Nixie grins at that, glancing up at the sky where it continued to fall. It had taken her another two years to master getting the weather to do what she wanted, rather than it simply responding to her emotions. Make no mistake, it still rained and poured and even stormed when Nixie was upset enough to cry or was hurt. But the rest of the time…

It was easier than Nixie had ever thought it would be. But in her mind, she simply felt like she was asking an earnest question, and then the sky responded eagerly to answer. And right now, she was asking for snow. The gentle kind that children could make snow angels in, or turn into a snowman. Some kids were throwing around snowballs, but most were simply running around, kicking up the snow, or trying to catch it on their tongues.

Nixie and Jordan both turn as Lydia and Stiles pull up in the drive. And then they can't help laughing when Alison squeals from the yard, "Claudia!"

The red-headed child, like her mother, hopped out of the backseat and ran to meet her friend in the middle of the yard. The two practically crashed into each other, falling down in the snow laughing, before they took off to try and build their own snowman together.

As Stiles moves up the steps, he glances out at the yard. Grinning, he says, "Nice touch, Nix." "I do try, you know." "I do. Maybe you can make it snow on my birthday." Nixie shrugs, "I can. But a lot of people are going to be confused when it starts snowing in May." "Damn it."

Lydia pinches Stiles' arm, "Language. The children are right there. Some with sensitive hearing." "Right. Sorry darling." Lydia smiles instantly at the endearment he called her by, and then hugged Nixie quickly before moving to join everyone else inside. It wasn't that everyone else didn't like the snow. They did. But when it came to having someone stand out there in it, watching over the kids as they played for hours in the cold… well, Nixie and Jordan were both best suited for the task. Nixie wasn't even wearing a jacket. She was just in her jeans, boots, and a long-sleeved black shirt. And Jordan was in a dark green t-shirt and still felt fine.

The sun was beginning to get a bit lower in the sky, and Nixie was about to frown in worry… when finally the last vehicle they were expecting pulled up. Liam hops out the passenger seat while saying, "I thought I knew where we were." Mason and Corey, hand in hand, climb out of the back and just shake their heads while laughing. Coming up the steps, they stop for a hug from Nixie, and then explain, "Liam got us lost."

And Theo, from the driver's seat, just grins while shaking his head, "Whatever, Liam. Next time, I'm sticking with the GPS. Thirty minutes faster, my ass. We're a whole hour late now."

Nixie hugs Liam first, and then wraps Theo in a hug and says, "Thank you for getting them." "Of course. Can't have a family Christmas without the whole family."

It had taken the chimera another year to become someone Nixie was fully willing to trust. And honestly, Theo was surprised by that. He'd expected it to take years, possibly decades, to earn that from her.

He should've known that Nixie would take her sixth sense into account. She always did. And Theo had not only improved, but he had become an exemplary supernatural being. Which, as it turns out, is really great, because…"

"Theo!" He turns and bends down so he's ready to catch Alison as she sprints across the yard and runs up the steps to find him. Leaping into his arms, she hugs him tight as he stands up straight, holding her on his hip. As she lifts her face from his neck, she complains, "You're late."

Theo can't help grinning at how adorable she looks. Her eyebrows had come together, and one hand was on her hip, clearly trying to give the impression that she was upset with him. His response is to simply kiss the end of her nose, making her giggle as he says, "Sorry, sweetheart. Liam made me take the long way around."

Alison tilts her head, "Why? That makes no sense. You should've come the short way around."

Nixie puts a hand to her mouth to keep from laughing. Whereas Nixie, herself, would say things like that in a sarcastic manner, Alison didn't. And it was somehow even more hilarious that her daughter was always rather serious when she said these things. Because her tone, even for a five year old, seemed to imply, 'This is obvious. Are you really that stupid?'

Theo took no offense though, and simply says, "That's what I told him!" "Do you want me to tell him?" "Absolutely." He looks to Nixie briefly, gaining her permission to go ahead and take her daughter inside. At her nod, Theo says, "Come on. We'll go find him now and set him straight." "Okay. And then you'll help me with my snowman?" "Of course, sweetheart."

After they're gone, Jordan squeezes Nixie tighter from behind her and says, "She's a bit attached to him." Nixie shrugs, "She could be attached to worse." "True. But I'd rather she not be attached to any boy. At least until she's thirty. Possibly forty."

Nixie grins, leaning back so she can look up at him. "I was attached to you when I was sixteen. How do you expect our daughter to find it fair if you ban her from liking boys until she's forty?" "You make a point, I suppose. I'll just have to settle for threatening some poor kid with a shotgun someday." Nixie laughs, "You and every other man in this house. With as many threats as will be passed out, we'll be lucky if she can keep a boyfriend for more than a day." "That's the idea." "Jordan!"

He chuckles, kissing the top of her ear, and then nibbling down to the lobe. Sucking gently on the skin at the back of it, he then whispers, "Remind me which of these rooms are soundproofed." Nixie trembles in her arms and answers, "All of the bedrooms are soundproofed." "Hmm… we should find one." "Later." "In five minutes then. I can…" "Jordan!"

She laughs as he licks a playful strip up the side of her neck, then he chuckles and says, "I'm only teasing. Besides, we can't move onto that yet." "And why is that?" "I haven't had a chance to catch you under all of the mistletoe that's hanging up in this house yet."

He grins as his wife freezes in his arms, and then tightens his grip when she says, "If you make me moan in front of anyone, I will give you frostbite." "You can try." "Ugh!"

* * *

Normally Nixie enjoyed heading off to bed after the Christmas meal was over. They'd all sit for an hour in the giant lounge room, some playing cards and others on couches and chairs, just talking. And then they'd head up to bed. The children were already long gone in their beds by then.

But not tonight. Tonight, Deaton and Grams had come and given them some interesting news. Not that they wouldn't have come anyway, but ever since Alison had started talking in full sentences by the age of one… well, they'd been going on a massive hunt of their own. A hunt to figure out what exactly was the baby of a dragon supposed to be.

It had obviously already occurred to Jordan and Nixie that their kid couldn't be born and be like them. Dragons were chosen. It wasn't a power or shapeshifting type that could be passed down from one generation to the next. And hellhounds… well, they weren't born either. At least, not the natural way. A hellhound birth was through fire, chaos, and pain. Jordan basically would've already died himself, if not for being chosen by his hellhound counterpart.

All of this led to the conclusion that Alison couldn't be either a dragon or a hellhound. And Nixie honestly thought that maybe she'd just turn out to be a human with supernatural parents. That would've been fine with her.

But babies didn't learn to talk in full sentences when they were one. In fact, it was considered a stretch sometimes, for the kid to even be able to say one or two words, when they turned one year old. And there was no questioning that Alison knew what she was saying. Her sentences had been clear, her questions obvious. She was still barely able to walk on her own… but she knew how to talk and speak her mind.

Deaton and Grams didn't think it was a coincidence, hence the massive hunt. That was part of the reason that Liv wasn't able to make it to Christmas here this year. Grams was taking a leave of absence from her job, doing most of the traveling involved in this search for knowledge.

And apparently, they'd finally found something. Nixie had felt it with her sixth sense when they'd arrived at the door. And once everyone had kind of settled down and the children had gone to bed, they'd pulled Jordan and Nixie aside to explain...

Fairies.

Nixie had nearly wanted to laugh, because how in the hell was it possible that an ice breathing dragon, and a flame engulfed hound, came together and spat back out a fairy.

But that's what Alison was going to be. Or… already was? To Nixie's understanding, it had more to do with Alison herself, as to when her powers would emerge and what they would be, rather than being based on anything else. The book Grams had found in Egypt was ancient, crumbling on all sides. They were going to have Lydia transcribe it for them and rewrite it so the information wouldn't be lost simply because of its age. But the passage that mattered most to them was clear…

" _Though the race of dragons cannot multiply by the normal reproductive process, their children are no less born into the supernatural world. All dragons, regardless of color or age, will give birth to the fairies. Born with power over a specific aspect of the world, they are typically destined, like their dragon parents, to grow into becoming great friends and allies of the supernatural world._

 _Specifically of the blue dragon, this much can be said further. Because a blue dragon is bound through their soul to have one true mate, the children of a blue dragon will be bound in the same way. And this particular gift of the supernatural spirit will continue to be passed down through their generations."_

The passage didn't go on to explain what all different types of fairies there were, or how to determine which one a child might be. The book seemed to be written as though for a person who already had a descent understanding of fairies themselves, and more on the aspect of how supernatural power was passed from one generation of creature to the next.

But Deaton was doing more research, now that they had a direction to go in. It could be argued that there were hundreds of different types of fairies though, so no one was sure how they were going to pinpoint what Alison was.

In any case, now Nixie was in the kitchen, cleaning up the last of the dishes. Upon learning that their child was a fairy, she'd wanted to take a little time and digest that. Hence her sending Lydia and Stiles up to bed already, instead of having them take their turn at the dishes. They needed some alone time anyway. Those two had just spent the last month on a joint assignment, backing up an intelligence op that had been happening in Asia. They needed a night for just themselves.

As Nixie scrubs a plate clean, she wonders if Alison has an inkling already as to the power she might have. She had always been an intelligent child, fast growing in her intellect. Nixie had kind of always thought that was because of Lydia and her though. Nixie was all for the kid watching Disney movies and the like, but she and Lydia both often got her to watch educational children TV as well. Not to mention reading. The child was basically a joint prodigy of them both, already able to read entire children's books on her own. By the time she actually went into second grade and started using the school library, she'd probably be reading at a fifth grade level.

But, as it turns out, a quickly developing mind may simply be because Alison was a fairy. Her mind had to develop quickly, or so Deaton said, or else her power may manifest in ways that she wouldn't be able to control. And fairies were a bright light in the world, same as Nixie, he'd assured her. But an out of control fairy… well, that was something to be feared. Possibly the same amount as someone should fear a pissed off blue dragon.

She continues to ponder what her daughter might be. Whether her power will be influenced by the power she and Jordan have, or if Alison's gifts will be something different entirely.

Shaking her head, Nixie puts away the last dish, and then dries off her hands. She didn't have to figure all of that out tonight. When the time was right, they would know. And until then, Alison would be raised as simply as if she were just an ordinary human child. Well… a human child with supernatural parents, one of which was overprotective by nature.

Nixie shakes her head again, and then glances at the clock nearby. It was one in the morning. It was officially Christmas. And technically, all of the adults had already exchanged all of their gifts. They liked leaving Christmas morning to be just for the kids. But… Nixie did have on more gift for Jordan.

Well, if she was brave enough to show it to him. She blames Lydia, completely and entirely. They'd been talking one night about some of the things they'd done to tease their respective husbands back into bed. But the… let's say naughtiest… thing that Nixie had ever done would be to steal Jordan's cuffs, and then dare him to make her regret it.

Yeah, he'd ended up an hour late that morning. But that was basically the sneakiest she'd ever been with him. Lydia, on the other hand… well, the list of ideas she had about how to convince Stiles to call in late to work was almost endless.

By the end of the conversation, Lydia had convinced Nixie that she should buy some lingerie to tease her husband with. Hence the shopping trip they took a week before Christmas, and hence the outfit that Nixie was wearing now, underneath her normal clothes.

It's not that Nixie didn't understand the concept of lingerie. Sure, Jordan had seen her naked. Their child was basically evidence of that. But lingerie was supposed to specifically pull your eyes towards what you couldn't yet see. Yes, you saw all of what was revealed first, but then your mind focused on what little was being hidden from you.

Lydia said it also made a man wonder how long he wanted to spend taking the outfit off of you. Because sometimes it could be done within a matter of seconds. And other times… Lydia specifically mentioned something about a time in which Stiles spent an hour admiring her in it while he slowly stripped it away from her body.

That, and the fact that Lydia had actually gone out and bought a batgirl set of lingerie, was way more information that Nixie ever needed. But that wasn't the point. The point was, Nixie knew what lingerie was supposed to do. It was an attempt to make yourself look sexier than you already were without any clothes on. Which… yeah, was probably not hard for some women.

But Nixie was a scarred up mess that, on her best days, still hated wearing dresses and skirts and… Basically, she just felt that the sight of her in lingerie would make Jordan wonder what the hell had happened to her. Lydia assured her that wouldn't be the case. A woman in lingerie was simply trying to be enticing, and the man she was trying to lure in would definitely work to prove that he'd been enticed.

Nixie glances down at herself, still fully clothed, but remembering how she'd looked in the mirror that morning before they'd left to come here. Though no one could see them, she was wearing red and white stripped stockings, held up by garters that hooked onto a pair of red panties with white trim. The bra she was wearing was a barely there thing, same color and design as the panties, but the cup size was one too small in her opinion, and it pushed her breasts closer together, making them look like they were trying to pop out at any given moment.

For added effect, or something like that, there were mistletoe images scattered across the panties, and then one each for both cups of the bra. Lydia had found it, ordered her to buy it, and declared that Jordan would consider it one of the greatest Christmas gifts he'd gotten all year.

Nixie was not convinced. And she half believed that he had to already know she wasn't exactly dressed in her normal attire underneath her clothes. For the entirety of the evening, from the moment they got back inside, until the moment everyone started heading to bed, he'd done exactly as he'd said he would. Mistletoe was placed everywhere in the house. Under almost every doorframe, on lights and windows. It was everywhere.

That was Lydia's doing too, and part of that was because of how much enjoyment Jordan got out of teasing Nixie with it. It was like a game, honestly. One that Nixie, though she will never admit it aloud, is always rather eager to play. He'll catch her under the mistletoe, wrap her up or back her into the nearest wall or surface, and kiss her. Slowly or swiftly, languidly or quick and teasingly. He never kissed her the same way twice in a row. Nixie never knew exactly what was coming… only that it was, and that if she couldn't get a grip on her vocal chords, the entirety of the room was going to be very aware of what they would be doing later that night.

Not that it wasn't already apparent. Nixie's pretty sure Jordan is the one who convinced Marcus that all the bedrooms needed to be soundproofed, so that when couples came and stayed over in a room, they didn't have to worry about all the other supernatural creatures listening in on what was happening behind that closed door.

Which brings us back to the outfit Nixie is currently wearing, and what Lydia was certain would happen if Jordan saw it. She's fairly certain he already knows it's not her normal underwear, based on how many times his hands had traced over her skin when he'd been teasing her through the day. But she still wasn't as confident as Lydia was, about what Jordan's reaction to this getup would be. And she was trying to figure out how to get out of it now, without letting Jordan know she'd ever put it on, when a silver chain drops down in front of her face.

Gasping at the heart shaped sapphire stone, tiny diamonds wrapping around it in a frame, Nixie says, "Jordan…" He clasps it behind her neck, and then kisses her there before saying, "Merry Christmas." Nixie fingers the jewel delicately where it falls in the center of her chest. Shaking her head, she turns to face him. "You shouldn't have."

Jordan simply grins, and then kisses her gently before saying, "I looked up that blue sapphire is a sign of commitment. And I know we're well past needing some physical object to show how committed we are to one another." Gently touching the stone with his fingers, he says, "But this is my heart, and it is yours in every possible way. And I don't ever want you to forget that."

As a tear slips from Nixie's eye, she brushes it away quickly. Kissing him swiftly, she says, "You're going to make me cause a storm." He just smiles in answer, and then takes a step back and says, "And now… the part you aren't going to like."

Nixie raises an eyebrow, but then her eyes blow out wide when Jordan adds on, "Lydia informed me that I needed to come down here and ask you about my other present. And apparently, I'm not supposed to let you talk me out of receiving it." Tilting his head, he says, "Why you would try to talk me out of getting my own present from you, is still a mystery to me. But regardless, I'm not supposed to let you sneak away until you show it to me."

With no idea what else to do, Nixie spins around to face the sink again. Reaching in to pull the plug out so the water will drain, she says, "I think Lydia is off her nut for once. I gave you your present after dinner. And now you've given me an extra present, which you shouldn't have done. I…" "Nixie."

She pauses at his tone, one that clearly said he knew she was lying. The heat of his body behind her makes her tremble, but she refuses to turn around. Well, until Jordan grips her arms and gently makes her.

Hazel eyes meet bright blue, and for a moment they just stand there in silence. Jordan reading her face, and Nixie trying desperately to make sure he can't find his present written there.

But he's her husband. And Jordan knows what makes her this nervous better than anybody. So after another second or two, he tilts his head and asks, "This wouldn't have anything to do with the new bra you're wearing, would it?"

When Nixie blinks in surprise, Jordan raises an eyebrow. "I might not have seen you get dressed this morning, which was strange in itself. But I'm your husband, Nixie. I know when you're wearing a new bra." Glancing down, he adds, "One that makes it look like you're trying to suffocate your breasts, by the way."

Nixie spins to move away, but Jordan catches her around the waist. Drawing her back, he takes her hand and pulls her out of the kitchen and into the den. Standing in the doorway, he asks, "Why don't you want to show me?" "Because I look ridiculous." Jordan narrows his eyes, "You think that about everything you put on. You thought you looked ridiculous in your nurse scrubs, until I told you otherwise."

It was true. Nixie had thought that the ones she'd bought herself didn't look good at all. And yes, she'd told Jordan as much. Who had then proceeded to slowly pulling them off her body, while telling her all the things they made him want to do to her.

Gently gripping her chin, Jordan says, "How about you let me decide?" "Because you won't tell me I look ridiculous, even if I do." Jordan ponders that a moment, and then reaches down for her hand again. Bringing it up to his lips for a kiss, he says, "How about this? I promise you, right now, that if there is any part of 'this'…" He gestures to her for emphasis on what he's talking about, and then finishes, "that I don't like, then I will not hold back. I will let you know."

Nixie stares at him for a moment, and then nods shakily before sighing and says, "Fine, just… fine."

Jordan smiles, and Nixie rolls her eyes at having been so easily beaten. She was going to put hot sauce in Lydia's eggs in the morning for this.

Reaching down for Nixie's shirt, he helps her pull it up over her head. And at the sight that greets him… he has to take a moment to just stare… mentally preparing himself for what else he might see. As Nixie reaches up to try and wrap her arms around herself, Jordan pulls her arm back down.

The look he gives her is almost stern, and then he lets a finger trace the outline of her bra where it does still manage to contain her breasts. Nixie's pulse quickens, her breathing becoming more rapid as he trails what feels like liquid heat across her skin. And then her heart jumps when he says in a deep voice, "This I like."

Bending down for her pants, he pauses only when Nixie says, "Um… Lydia…" Huffing and taking another breath, Nixie says, "Lydia said that the shoes needed to stay on… for added effect… or something." Jordan kisses her stomach, and then says, "Okay."

The black boots she was wearing were only ankle high. Lydia had suggested stilettoes or something similar, but Nixie drew the line there. She was already buying the outfit. She was not about to buy a pair of shoes that she knew she'd never be able to walk in.

Jordan draws her pants down her legs, and Nixie feels the heat in the room spike. Jordan looks down to help get her feet out of the pants, and then tosses them aside. Nixie's entire body shakes as his eyes then rake back up her body.

When he does speak, the first thing he says is, "I don't like the tights." Nixie blinks in surprise, but then blushes when he adds, "They hide a bit too much of you for my taste." But his hands still wrap around her thighs, scaling up until they've rounded her ass. Settling at her hips, he kisses her right thigh before saying, "But I love the rest of this."

As his thumbs swirl at her hips, Nixie's knees give a brief buckle before she moans. Hands moving to cover his, she says, "Jordan…" He simply swirls there again, continuing to kiss her exposed thigh up to the rim of her panties, and then back down to the edge of her tights again.

When he huffs, Nixie thinks she's somehow done something wrong for a moment. But then she hears the clips of the garters unhook, and Jordan rolls her tights further down her legs, revealing more skin for his eyes and mouth to feast upon.

As he kisses her inner thigh, down closer towards her knee, Nixie has to grip his shoulders to keep from falling down. "Jordan… I…"

He gives her hips one more teasing press, smiling at the whimper it causes to escape her lips. He trails his kisses up her leg, past her stomach, over the swell of her breasts, and then to the curve of her neck.

When he finally settles back at her lips, Nixie moans into his mouth. He wastes no time demanding entry there, and Nixie wraps her arms around his shoulders quickly before she can do something stupid. Like fall down and melt into the floor.

When he finally pulls back, Jordan brushes his nose against hers before saying, "Please let me take you to bed now." "Mm-hmm." He scopes her up quickly and hurries up the stairs. He's already at their door when Nixie finally remembers, "Jordan! My clothes!"

But Jordan closes the door behind them, deposits her on the bed, and says, "Lydia will be the first one up anyway. She'll get them." "But…" His mouth lands at her right hip, sucking and working a hickey into that spot while Nixie lets out a yelp before moaning at the sensation.

Nixie decides that maybe this wasn't ridiculous after all. Jordan took his sweet time exploring every inch of skin that was already exposed, before then deciding to expose more. And the mistletoe that decorated her outfit didn't help her situation any. She was ready to be out of the outfit as soon as he'd seen it, almost. But Jordan was enjoying the fact that he'd teased her under mistletoe in the house all the rest of the day, and now he'd get to tease her with mistletoe all the rest of the night.

As they laid there together in the aftermath, Nixie kisses Jordan's chest and says, "Merry Christmas." Jordan chuckles at that, squeezing her closer before saying, "Yes, it most certainly is." "God, you're such a guy." "I should hope so. And now that I've seen this, I know what I'm going to request for my birthday."

Nixie's head shoots up off the bed so fast that Jordan can't help laughing. She smacks his chest in response, but then grins and asks, "And what exactly is that?" "Well, my dear and beautiful wife, you are in fact a nurse." "Oh my God. You are such a…" "Yes, I'm a guy. You keep saying that like you can't believe it. I guess I'd better prove it to you. Again." "Jordan… Jordan, no, we have to… wake up early… and… I… you…"

And Jordan can't help smirking against her skin when, as he does something clever with his fingers, Nixie's entire body trembles before she whispers, "Fuck, please keep going." "Always, baby. Always."

* * *

Lydia is grinning like the Cheshire cat when Nixie finally makes her way downstairs the next morning. But it's entirely too early for Nixie to credit her with even a blush as a response. Jordan kisses her temple before pulling out a chair at the table for her, and then he moves to get her some coffee.

As everyone else begins filtering down for coffee and breakfast, Nixie smiles as she hears the first of the children waking up. Claudia ran across the floor from her room to Alison's, throwing open the door and shouting, "Ally! It's Christmas!"

Pretty soon all of the children were rushing downstairs. Satomi was here, along with some others… but there were several who still wouldn't be arriving until dinner time. But, Satomi assured that none of them wanted to make their children wait to open the presents that 'Santa' had brought them in the middle of the night. So no one got in the way as they raced into the den, where a tree had been set up, and presents of every size, shape and color had been placed for them to open.

Alison loved all of her presents, from the new board game to the stuffed wolf she'd been given. But her favorite present was still the fact that it had snowed, therefore making it a white Christmas. Though Theo's gift of a charm bracelet made for a very close second.

It was during lunch that everyone's biggest Christmas surprise was finally revealed. Claudia and Alison had run off outside to enjoy the snow and the woods. Alison in particular loved spending her time outside amongst the trees.

Both girls came running back inside at full speed, Claudia skidding to a stop next to her mother's chair, and Alison making a beeline for Theo. Tugging on his hand, she says, "Come outside, Theo! I made a present! You have to see!" Tilting his head, Theo asks, "You made a present?" "Yes! Come see! Please?"

She looked so worried that he wouldn't want to come for a moment, that Theo tilted her head up so he could kiss her cheek. When her smile and rosy cheeks returned, he grinned and stood up to come with her.

Then, as though remembering finally that she hadn't only come to get him, she turns around and says, "Everyone has to come! Please! And it's a surprise, so no peeking!"

Theo raises an eyebrow at Nixie, who simply shrugs because she's as clueless as everyone else. She'd helped Alison pick out most of the gifts that they'd gotten for everyone, and all of those had already been opened. So she has no idea what else there might be for anyone to see, nevertheless why it should have to be outside. Regardless though, everyone slipped on some boots and a coat and headed out the door.

Getting there was the only problem. All of the children were rather insistent that no one peek after they reached a certain point in the woods. Alison had Nixie by one hand and Theo by the other, guiding them and leading a sort of train, along with the other children, until she pulled everyone to a stop.

She made sure everyone was in a position where they'd be able to see it, and then tugged on Theo's shirt while saying, "Okay, you can open."

Nixie hears everyone else's reaction of gasping at the sight before them. Lydia let out a small yelp, which echoed throughout the entire woods. Stiles looked like he might nearly fall down, whether from simply fainting, or from going into a spastic episode of flailing limbs… one of the two.

Scott moves to stand beside Nixie, and asks in awe, "How… how did she…"

But Nixie just shakes her head as they stare at the Nemeton. The tree that had been cut down long before even Derek and his family had lived in Beacon Hills. Even Peter could only remember it as being a stump, and not as an actual tree.

But now, here it was. A giant, massive tree. Thriving with life. It looked as though it had never been chopped down in the first place. Like it had been standing there this whole time. And somehow, there were even lights lit up within the tree.

The Christmas tree that was standing up in the house looked very pale in comparison to this masterpiece.

Most of the children were cheering, jumping around again and racing around the tree, trying to climb up into it, or ducking under the larger roots that were stuck up out of the ground. But Theo glanced down, shaking himself out of his own shock, when he felt Alison tugging on his shirt again.

Worry covered her whole face, and she looked like she was about to cry as she asks, "Is… is it bad? Did I do something wrong?" Bending down quickly, he assures, "No! No, this… Ally, this is wonderful. It's beautiful!" She relaxes a bit, but still frowns and asks, "Then why don't you like it?" "I do." "You're not smiling."

Grinning at her, he says, "That tree has been gone for years, sweetheart. You have to give all of us adults a minute to catch up with the fact that it's made a miraculous return." Alison ponders that for a moment, and then nods. But she also leans closer to him and whispers, "How long has it been? Can I bug mom now?"

Theo chuckles, turning to Nixie as she bends down beside them as well. Shaking her head in disbelief, she just holds out her arms, and Alison runs into them. Hugging her little girl tight, Nixie kisses the top of her head and says, "Alison, it absolutely gorgeous."

She giggles happily, and then reaches up to hug her dad as well when he bends down to join his girls. Kissing her cheek, he then glances at Nixie, eyes wide and clearly wondering what everyone else was thinking as well. Nodding, Nixie turns back to Alison and asks, "But… honey, how did you do this?"

And as usual, Alison said straightforward, "I asked it to." Nixie tilts her head, "You asked it to? You asked the Nemeton to grow back?" Alison nods, and then glances around at everyone. When they all look confused, she frowns and asks, "Can't you do that?"

Jordan shakes his head, but then says gently, "Why don't you show us how you do it?" She ponders for a moment what to show them exactly, and then simply settles for brushing some of the snow away. Picking up a handful of dirt between her small hands, she then stares at it intently, concentrating on the soil.

Everyone's eyes shoot open wide when, seemingly from nothing, a red rose begins sprouting up from the dirt. And in the span of ten seconds, the rose grows, blooms, and becomes one of the most beautiful ones that Nixie thinks she's ever seen.

Alison hands it over to her mother, and then asks, "Do you like the present?" Nixie nods, "Honey, it's beautiful. Thank you." She beams at her mother and father, and then turns to Theo. Grabbing his hand, she says, "Come on! You have to help me climb the tree! Please!"

Theo laughs as he's half dragged away, leaving the others to marvel at what had just happened. Nixie stares at the rose a moment more, and then stands up and turns to face Deaton. She runs through the list of potential fairies that her daughter could be, and then wagers a guess, "Woodland fairy?"

Deaton nods, "I would guess that too. Though I guess only time will really tell. But I don't know what other category something like this would fall under. I mean… she speaks to the earth and the trees apparently. Makes sense to me."

Nixie nods, and then can't help laughing when Stiles finally flails his arms wildly before saying, "Are we seriously using the phrase 'Makes sense' to describe what's going on right now?! There's a tree! In the middle of the woods!"

Raising an eyebrow, Nixie says, "Very astute observation, Stiles. What else you got?" "Oh, shut up. You know what I mean? There's a tree where there is most definitely not supposed to be a tree."

Scott just smiles and says, "No. No, I think there's a tree in exactly the place a tree was always meant to be." Nixie grins over at him, and then watches as her daughter lets her legs dangle from a branch high up off the ground. Theo was sitting next to her, pointing at some of the lights in the tree, probably trying to figure out how she'd made that happen as well.

As Alison scoots closer to Theo, wrapping her arms around his tightly, Nixie tilts her head for a moment. And then her eyes go wide again before she says, "Deaton… because I'm a blue dragon… Alison has a mate, right?" Deaton nods, "Yes. All of your children will. And all of their children. That particular trait will be passed down through all the generations following you."

Jordan follows his wife's eye-line to Theo and Alison in the tree. Letting out a breath, he says, "I'll go get the shotgun." Nixie snaps her eyes to him, "No! Are you nuts?!" And when he raises an eyebrow at her, everyone starts laughing when she says, "Theo has just gotten to the point where he doesn't look at me and wonder if I'm going to try and beat him to death today. We're friends now. And if you start threatening him, then I have to threaten him too. It's our daughter, collectively. And then Noah has to threaten him, and Stiles, and Scott, and Chris too. And then Theo will die of a heart attack, and Alison will not be happy with any of us. The world as we know it, will stop spinning."

Grinning, shoulders shaking as he tries not to laugh, Jordan asks, "That bad huh?" "Oh, shut up. You know what I mean. We can't threaten him, he'll take it seriously." "That's the idea." "Jordan…" "Nixie…" When she crosses her arms at him, he makes a brief clicking sound behind his teeth, and then says, "I suppose I could be distracted into going easy on him."

Nixie briefly thinks he simply means heading back to the house and into their room. But before she can blush at that implication, Jordan pokes her in the side, eliciting a squeal. Jumping away from him, she says, "No, do not…" But she lets out a scream of laughter before taking off as Jordan makes to chase after her. And as though that were a sign for everyone to finally move, all of the adults took off, chasing each other through the snow, starting a snowball fight.

Jordan actually got caught by Nixie first. She cheated, according to him, by using some of her supernatural speed to round the tree again and get behind him. She then hit him in the head with a snowball, and then shoved an extra handful down his shirt before running away.

The heat that wrapped around her in response had the hint of a threat in it, but Nixie realizes why a little too late. The snow at her feet melted swiftly, and in her haste to escape, she slipped and fell back into the wet snow.

And then she screamed before dissolving into laughter when Jordan's hands dove beneath her shirt and gripped and pinched her sides for a bit. Nixie then finds herself pinned down in the wet snow beneath him, hands held at either side of her head. Grinning up at her husband, she says breathlessly, "You're mean." "Says the woman who shoved freezing cold snow down my shirt." "You're mated to me. You should be used to that by now."

He nibbles at the curve of her neck, grinning when she laughs a bit. Then he opens his mouth and tugs firmly against the skin. They were at the back of the tree now, so it made no difference if Nixie's eyes suddenly closed and she bit her bottom lip wantonly. Working another hickey into her flesh, he grins when she says, "No one will ever let me live all these down. You know that right." "Yes."

She finally just laughs, and then pleads, "Kiss me." He gives a hard suck against the side of her neck, obviously emphasizing that he was already kissing her. But then he pulls back to look at her. Letting out a gentle groan at the sight of her bottom lip tucked between her teeth, he says, "And you call me mean." She laughs again, and then jumps a bit when he nips at her bottom lip before tilting his head to kiss her deeply.

They only pull apart when Claudia yells from somewhere, "Ally and Theo sitting in a tree. K, I, S, S…" Jordan lifts his head up, not really paying attention to the rest. He simply glances over to make sure that Theo isn't actually kissing his five year old daughter. Mate or not, there would most definitely be words if that was happening.

But they were still just sitting there together, albeit, Alison didn't seem to be all that embarrassed by the song Claudia was singing about them.

Turning back to his wife, briefly taking on a more serious tone, he asks, "Are you okay with that? With them eventually being a thing?"

She stares up at him for a moment, but then smiles and says, "He's better. And he's always striving to be better. And in that sense… it's what will make him the best for her. So… yes, I'm okay with that." Jordan nods, and then lets his head thump down onto her shoulder as he laughs when she adds, "But, in spite of the world possibly ending, we will have to stress to him at some point that, if he hurts her, I will kill him. And why on earth are you laughing, I'm…"

He kisses her into silence, his tongue sweeping over hers, making her moan softly into his mouth. Pulling back gently, he says, "You're serious. I know. And I'm very well aware that that's the reason there are always, on any given day, at least four bottles of bleach somewhere in our house." "I like to be prepared." "So it would seem."

She grins up at him, but then says sincerely, "He'll be good to her. I can see it." Jordan nods, and then says, "I guess we should get up and join the others." "I don't see why. I'm fine right here." Grinning, he was about to kiss her again. But that would be when a snowball hit him in the back of the head.

Nixie laughed as Jordan turned to see Stiles whooping in victory. He then promptly sprinted away too, knowing full well the battle he'd just started. Jordan turns back to Nixie, squeezing her sides briefly in a threat to tickle her again. She squealed, but then joined him in standing up.

Smirking up at him, she says, "I'll take Scott. You get Stiles. Also, Lydia's on our team." "How do you know that?" "Because…" And then Nixie simply points towards the sound of Lydia's voice as the banshee says, "Stiles, you're going to pay for that!"

And as they remain around the Nemeton for the remainder of the day, Nixie can't help but feel that this day serves as a sort of foreshadowing for the future. Yes, there would be battles ahead. Yes, they were always going to have to fight for their happiness, their lives, and the people they loved.

But this was the result. This wonderful Christmas, surrounded by friends and family. Surrounded by pack. And with the official rebirth of the Nemeton, she can't help but feel that there will be many more days just like this one, for as long as they supernaturally live.

* * *

The End! Oh my goodness! How bittersweet it is! Thank you all so much for reading. I can't tell you how thrilled it makes me to know that you all decided to take the time to read all of these. I hope you all have enjoyed these stories as much as I've enjoyed writing them. :)


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